[Clinical significance of sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To study the necessity, feasibility, accuracy and clinical value of sentinel lymph node(SLN) biopsy in the management of breast cancer.


METHODS
Technetium-99m labeled colloid particles were injected subcutaneously below the breast tumor before mastectomy. The sentinel lymph nodes identified by lymphoscintigraphy and gamma-counter were dissected out from the excised axillary tissue and separately examined manually for consistency and histologically.


RESULTS
In 30 cases studied, SLNs were identified in all but one, with a detection rate of 96.7%. Metastases were detected in SLNS in 8 cases. The other case showed positive axillary lymph nodes but SLN was negative. The sensitivity of SLN biopsy in this study was 88.9%, accuracy was 93.3%, false positive was 0, false negative was 11.1%.


CONCLUSIONS
SLN biopsy, though still under investigation, may in the future substitute routine axillary lymph node dissection in the management of breast cancer.
Zhang
B
B
Cancer Institute (Hospital), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.
Bai
Y
Y
Chen
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods*