Sentinel lymph-node biopsy compared to axillary lymph-node dissection for axillary staging in breast cancer patients

Aims The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of sentinel lymph-node biopsy in breast cancer patients at our institution and to compare the results of sentinel node (SN) biopsy to standard axillary lymph-node dissection (ALND). Methods In a retrospective study the percentage of lymph-node positive patients and the number of micrometastases in 165 breast cancer patients following SN biopsy was compared to 195 patients who underwent ALND of level I and II without SN biopsy. The SN was identified using a combination of vital blue dye and a radiolabelled colloid. Results Patients and tumour characteristics were comparable between both groups. SN biopsy found no significant difference in the number of node positive T1 cancer patients (SN group: 31/108 (28.7%) – ALND group: 21/92 (22.8%)) and T2 tumours (SN group: 27/57 (47.4%) – ALND group: 49/103 (47.6%)) between both groups. Micrometastases were more frequently found in the SN group when compared to the ALND group (six of 70 positive nodes) (P=0.04).Conclusion SN biopsy may be as accurate as standard axillary lymph-node dissection for the evaluation of the axillary lymph-node status in breast cancer patients.