title: Sentinel node biopsy in patients with previous breast aesthetic surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is the standard method for axillary staging of early breast cancer. Recent studies have focused on questioning the initial contraindication to the technique. There has been insufficient data to recommend SLNB in patients with previous aesthetic breast surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between April 2001 and June 2007, 70 patients with previous breast aesthetic surgery underwent SLNB. Fifty had a previous breast augmentation and 20 had breast reduction mammoplasty. All patients underwent lymphoscintigraphy with 99Tc according to our standard technique and sentinel node was identified in all cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age at cosmetic surgery was 38 years. Mean number of years from aesthetic surgery to the development of the tumour was 10 years. Forty-nine patients underwent conservative breast surgery and 21 patients underwent mastectomy. The sentinel node identification rate was 100%. SLN was positive in 23 patients (32%); there were 18 cases with macrometastasis and 7 cases with micrometastasis. After median follow-up of 19 months, no axillary recurrences have been observed. We observed two ipsilateral local recurrences, one contralateral tumour and one patient developed lung metastasis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Past history of breast augmentation or reduction is not a contraindication to SLNB technique.
authors.affiliation: Breast Surgery Department, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy. julia.rodriguezfernandez@ieo.it
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodriguez Fernandez
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martella
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trifirò
authors.forename: Mujgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caliskan
authors.forename: Camelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chifu
authors.forename: Fabricio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brenelli
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Botteri
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossetto
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rotmensz
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rietjens
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Veronesi
mesh_terms: D001365:Axilla; D001940:Breast / Q000601:surgery*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D016462:Mammaplasty; D008408:Mastectomy; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy