Sentinel lymph node biopsy or detection of micrometastasis in bone marrow: which might be an alternative to axillary lymph node dissection in breast cancer patients?
Axillary lymph node status has limited prognostic significance in breast cancer patients and much improvement can be made. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is emerging as an alternative to axillary lymph node dissection for staging, but its prognostic relevance is still uncertain. Detection of micrometastases in sentinel nodes and bone marrow may provide more information, but the clinical significance still needs to be confirmed by ongoing large trials. In this review, we focus on the possibility of sentinel lymph node biopsy or detection of bone marrow micrometastasis replacing traditional axillary lymph node dissection.
Zhu
Li
L
Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong Medical Centre, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Lam
Chi Kei
CK
Chow
Louis W C
LW
D001365:Axilla; D019046:Bone Marrow Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy