Follow-up of sentinel node negative breast cancer patients without axillary lymph node dissection.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer patients at our institution and to report the follow-up status of node-negative patients with removal of only the sentinel node.


METHODS
A total of 247 breast cancer patients underwent sentinel node (SN) mapping between June of 1996 and September of 2000. The SN was identified by using a combination of vital blue dye and a radiolabeled colloid.


RESULTS
A SN was identified in 227 of 247 patients (91.9%). One hundred forty-five were SN negative, 82 were SN positive. All SN-positive patients underwent axillary dissection of level I and II, whereas 83 patients with a negative SN had SN biopsy only. Median follow-up of these patients at 22 months revealed no axillary recurrence; the morbidity resulting from SN biopsy was negligible.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the follow-up is very short, SN biopsy only in node-negative breast cancer patients had no negative impact on the axillary failure rate and resulted in negligible morbidity.
Schrenk
P
P
Second Department of Surgery-Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Surgical Laparoscopy, AKH Linz, Austria. peter.schrenk@aon.at
Hatzl-Griesenhofer
M
M
Shamiyeh
A
A
Waynad
W
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001365:Axilla; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy