title: Management of axillary disease.
abstract: The presence of nodal metastases is the most important prognostic indicator in breast cancer, making accurate assessment of the axillary nodal basin critical to delivering optimal therapy in breast cancer. Clinically node-negative women can be reliably staged in a minimally invasive manner using sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND). In node-negative patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, SLND can be performed after chemotherapy, allowing for a single surgical procedure and a decreased probability of requiring axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Clinically node-positive patients are currently recommended to undergo ALND, although these recommendations may change with emerging trial data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 1484, Houston, TX 77230-1402, USA.
authors.forename: Abigail S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Caudle
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 1484, Houston, TX 77230-1402, USA.
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cupp
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 1484, Houston, TX 77230-1402, USA. Electronic address: hkuerer@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Henry M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kuerer
mesh_terms: D001365:Axilla; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008408:Mastectomy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
keywords: Axillary lymphadenectomy; Breast cancer; Neoadjuvant chemotherapy; Nodal metastasis; Sentinel lymph node