Sentinel lymph node biopsy after neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer: a prospective pilot trial.
BACKGROUND
The feasibility and accuracy of the sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients who have received neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer is still controversial.


METHODS
Thirty-one consecutive patients with the diagnosis of invasive breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy and complete axillary lymph node dissection.


RESULTS
Sentinel lymph nodes were successfully identified in 26 (83.8%) patients. The node was positive for malignancy in nine (34.6%) patients. Two of the patients with a negative sentinel lymph node presented other positive nodes in the final axillary specimen (false negative rate of 18%).


CONCLUSIONS
The results obtained by our prospective clinical trial do not support the use of the sentinel lymph node biopsy as an accurate procedure to predict the axillary lymph node status.
Medina-Franco
Heriberto
H
Dirección de Cirugía, Sección de Cirugía Oncológica, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, DF México. herimd@hotmail.com
Salgado-Nesme
Noel
N
Zerón-Medina-Cuairán
Jorge
J
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001365:Axilla; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D004396:Coloring Agents; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid; D055815:Young Adult
D004396:Coloring Agents; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes; C025484:iso-sulfan blue; D015251:Epirubicin; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D005472:Fluorouracil