INTRODUCTION: The sentinel lymph node (SLN) procedure has emerged as a safe staging method with a low morbidity. The objective of the present study was to examine the recurrence rates including especially the axillary recurrence rate in SLN-negative patients after a long follow-up period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 344 breast cancer patients were referred to SLN biopsy at our department from January 2000 to May 2005. Lymphoscintigraphy with (99m)Tc-nanocolloid was followed by same-day radioprobe-guided surgery. Among the 344 patients, 181 were SLN-negative. The group of SLN-negative patients was followed with regard to recurrence in general and axillary recurrence in particular by reviewing their respective medical files from control visits. RESULTS: The identification rate (IR) was 99% (340/344). Extra-axillary SLNs were detected in seven patients (4%). One patient had an axillary recurrence 39 months after the primary operation, corresponding to an axillary recurrence rate of 0.6% after a median follow-up of 60 months (range 7-93). CONCLUSION: With a high IR and an axillary recurrence rate of 0.6% after five years of follow-up, our data suggest that the SLN procedure is a valid and accurate method for the staging of breast cancer patients.
INTRODUCTION: The sentinel lymph node (SLN) procedure has emerged as a safe staging method with a low morbidity. The objective of the present study was to examine the recurrence rates including especially the axillary recurrence rate in SLN-negative patients after a long follow-up period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 344 breast cancerpatients were referred to SLN biopsy at our department from January 2000 to May 2005. Lymphoscintigraphy with (99m)Tc-nanocolloid was followed by same-day radioprobe-guided surgery. Among the 344 patients, 181 were SLN-negative. The group of SLN-negative patients was followed with regard to recurrence in general and axillary recurrence in particular by reviewing their respective medical files from control visits. RESULTS: The identification rate (IR) was 99% (340/344). Extra-axillary SLNs were detected in seven patients (4%). One patient had an axillary recurrence 39 months after the primary operation, corresponding to an axillary recurrence rate of 0.6% after a median follow-up of 60 months (range 7-93). CONCLUSION: With a high IR and an axillary recurrence rate of 0.6% after five years of follow-up, our data suggest that the SLN procedure is a valid and accurate method for the staging of breast cancerpatients.
Authors: Tanja Nadine Stueber; Joachim Diessner; Catharina Bartmann; Elena Leinert; Wolfgang Janni; Daniel Herr; Rolf Kreienberg; Achim Woeckel; Manfred Wischnewsky Journal: PLoS One Date: 2020-05-20 Impact factor: 3.240