title: Should sentinel lymph-node biopsy be used routinely for staging melanoma and breast cancers?
abstract: The sentinel lymph node (SLN) is the lymph node that represents the 'gate-keeper' of the lymphatic basin; it is the first node to receive lymphatic drainage from the site of the primary tumor. SLN biopsy is a staging procedure and should be considered as such; it is not meant to be a therapeutic operation. The SLN can be mapped and biopsied using tracer agents (e.g. radiolabelled colloid and/or vital blue dye), which are injected around the primary tumor site. Pathologic analysis of the SLN using a combination of serial sectioning of the node, standard hematoxylin and eosin staining, and immunohistochemistry decreases the false-negative rate compared with traditional nodal processing. SLN biopsy is associated with lower morbidity than full lymphadenectomy. The SLN technique accurately reflects the metastatic status of the regional lymph-node basin; recurrent nodal disease in the mapped basin is rare following a tumor-free SLN biopsy result. The objectives of this review are to provide a current and concise overview of the current literature on SLN biopsy and describe its role in clinical oncology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Scoggins
authors.forename: Anees B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Chagpar
authors.forename: Robert C G
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Kelly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: McMasters
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*