title: Factors affecting false-negative breast sentinel node biopsy in Chinese patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of the research was to validate our results on sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and to determine factors affecting false-negative (FN) rates of SLNB in Chinese patients with invasive breast cancers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study of patients with clinically node-negative invasive breast cancer was carried out from May 1999 to April 2006. A combination of radioisotope (99m)technetium(Tc)-albumin sulfur colloid and Patent Blue V dye was used to identify the sentinel lymph node. Sentinel lymph node biopsy was followed by standard level I and II axillary dissection in all patients. Various clinicopathologic variables were analysed to determine factors associated with FN SLNB.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred and sixty-five Chinese patients received SLNB consecutively during the study period. Seventy-eight patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 56 patients with in situ carcinoma were excluded. A total of 231 patients were studied. Sentinel lymph nodes were identified in 221 patients (95.7%). There were 10 FN, resulting in a FN rate of 12.5% and accuracy rate of 95.5%. Only the number of sentinel lymph node harvested was found to be a significant factor affecting FN rates on univariate (P < 0.009) and multivariate logistic regression (odds ratio: 2.65; 95% confidence interval: 2.57-2.73; P < 0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Chinese women, after this retrospective analysis of available findings, at least should sentinel nodes should be removed to reduce risk of false negativity.
authors.affiliation: Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong Medical Centre, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Kenneth S H
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Chok
authors.forename: Dacita T K
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Suen
authors.forename: Fiona M Y
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: George K H
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ava
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kwong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002681:China; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D012086:Reoperation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy