title: Sentinel lymph node biopsy and axillary staging of T1-T2 N0 breast cancer: a multicenter study.
abstract: From December 1996 to May 1998, 84 T1-T2 NO breast cancer patients were recruited for a multicenter study on the lymphoscintigraphic search of the axillary sentinel lymph node (SLN). The SLN was searched intraoperatively with a sodium iodide hand-held gamma-detecting probe (GDP) and excised before the standard axillary dissection was performed. Lymphoscintigraphy was unsuccessful in 8 of 84 cases (9.5%). In 73 of 76 patients with positive lymphoscintigraphy, SLN were found and excised (96%). The SLN proved to be predictive of axillary status in 71 of 73 cases (97.2%). Thirty of 41 patients had axillary metastases: in 16 cases, the SLN was the only site of the metastases (50%). In two cases, the SLN (reactive) did not match with the axillary status (2 of 63 reactive SLN, 4.6% of "skip" metastases). Age, tumor diameter, and histology seem to have little importance in affecting the predictivity of SLN biopsy. These results demonstrate the applicability of the lymphatic mapping techniques to a multicenter setting.
authors.affiliation: Chirurgia Oncologica, Unita Operativa Autonoma a Dirigenza Universitaria, Azienda Ospedaliera St. Giovanni Battista, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sandrucci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mussa
mesh_terms: D001365:Axilla; D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016719:Radioimmunodetection; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin
chemical_list: D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin