The sensitivity of axillary staging when using sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer (original) (raw)

Sentinel-Node Biopsy in Breast Cancer

2010

The concept of breast sentinel node biopsy is based on the assumption that a breast cancer that metastasizes through the lymphatics will initially reach one or a few nodes in the corresponding lymph basin. The status of this or these sentinel node(s) will predict the status of all the other nodes in the basin. The sentinel node can be found stained blue or as being radioactive by injecting blue dye or a radioactive tracer around the tumour. Scintigraphy may further help to localize the sentinel node. The feasibility of the method has been validated by several studies comparing the status of the sentinel node with the node status of the axilla revealed by subsequent axillary clearance. Detection rates of 66-100% and false-negative rates of 17 -0% have been reported. Before the method can be accepted for clinical use, a consensus concerning the accepted false-negative rate has to be reached and has to be shown in practice. From a theoretical point of view, a calculated false-negative risk rate of 2-3% can be accepted.

Sentinel Node Biopsy in Early Breast Cancer Patients with Palpable Axillary Node

Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention

Background: Sentinel lymph node biopsy is a reliable method for evaluation of the axillary lymph node status in early stage breast cancer patients with non-palpable lymph nodes. The present study evaluated the status of sentinel and non-sentinel lymph nodes in T1T2 patients with palpable axillary lymph nodes. Materials and Methods: One hundred and two women with early breast cancer were investigated in this study. Patients were selected for axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy and then surgery .Then the rates of false negative and true positive, and diagnostic accuracy of sentinel lymph nodes biopsy were evaluated. In addition, the hormone receptors status of the tumor was determined through IHC and data was analyzed in SPSS21. Results: In this study, the mean age of the patients was 49 years, 85% had invasive ductal carcinoma in their pathology reports, 77% were ER/PR positive, 30% HER2 positive and 9.8% triple negative and 69% had KI67<14%. In frozen pathology, 15.7 and 84.3% were sentinel positive and negative, respectively, and in the final pathology, 41 and 58.8% were sentinel positive and negative, respectively. This difference arises from the false negative rate of the frozen pathology, which was about 31.3%. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of the frozen section were 24, 90 and 43%, respectively. Lymphovascular invasion is an important effective factor in the involvement of sentinel and non-sentinel lymph nodes. Statistical analysis showed that the probability of sentinel and non-sentinel lymph nodes involvement was higher in receptor positive patients and those with KI67>14% (p<0.002) whereas the rate of involvement was lower in triple negative patients. Conclusion: Sentinel node biopsy can be used in a significant percentage of breast cancer patients with palpable and reactive axillary lymph nodes.

Sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer: early results in 953 patients with negative sentinel node biopsy and no axillary dissection

European Journal of Cancer, 2005

Sentinel node biopsy in patients with breast carcinoma accurately predicts the axillary nodal status. However, in some 6% of patients with negative sentinel nodes the remaining axillary nodes harbour metastases. Our purpose was to observe a large number of patients who did not undergo an axillary dissection after a negative sentinel node biopsy for the appearance of overt axillary metastases. 953 patients treated from 1996 to 2000, with negative sentinel nodes not submitted to axillary dissection, were followedup to 7 years, with a median follow-up of 38 months. Fifty-five unfavourable events occurred among the 953 patients, 37 (4%) related to the primary breast carcinoma. Three cases of overt axillary metastases were found: they received total axillary dissection and are presently alive and well. The 5 year overall survival rate of the whole series was 98%. Patients with negative sentinel node biopsies not submitted to axillary dissection show during follow-up a rate of overt axillary metastases that is lower than that expected.

Evaluation of feasibility and accuracy of sentinel node biopsy in early breast cancer

The American Journal of Surgery, 2001

Background: Current literature has suggested that sentinel node biopsy may eventually replace axillary dissection as the nodal staging procedure of choice in early breast cancer. The goals of our study were to determine the accuracy of the sentinel node in predicting axillary nodal status and to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating sentinel node biopsy into a general surgical practice. Methods: Between June 1999 and August 2000, 158 clinically node negative women with a histological diagnosis of T1 or T2 breast cancer were enrolled in the study. Both technetium sulfur colloid radiotracer and isosulfan blue dye were used to guide sentinel node biopsy. Sentinel node biopsy was always followed by a complete axillary dissection. The histopathology of sentinel nodes using serial sectioning and cytokeratin immunohistochemistry was compared with that of the nonsentinel nodes evaluated with routine hematoxylin and eosin stain. Results: The overall sentinel node detection rate was 84% (89 of 106 patients). Sentinel node biopsy was most successful when a combination of radiotracer and dye was used. The staging accuracy of sentinel node biopsy was 98% (87 of 89); the sensitivity of the method was 94% (34 of 36); the false negative rate was 6% (2 of 36); the negative predictive value was 96% (53 of 55); and the rate of metastases to the sentinel node only was 56% (20 of 36). The results varied considerably among surgeons.

Accuracy of sentinel node biopsy in predicting nodal status in patients with breast carcinoma

European Journal of Cancer, 2002

Background and Objectives: While sentinel lymph node biopsy is considered by many to have replaced axillary node dissection in the management of breast cancer, concerns remain regarding false-negative results. Methods: To investigate the accuracy of sentinel node biopsy, we reexamined all sentinel and nonsentinel nodes with multilevel sectioning and immunohistochemical staining in 42 consecutive cases of breast cancer in which sentinel node biopsy was performed and followed by axillary dissection. Results: By routine hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, 34% of patients were found to be node positive, with no cases of false-negative sentinel node biopsy. Reevaluation of 775 negative sentinel and nonsentinel nodes with an additional two levels and immunohistochemistry identi®ed threè`n ode-negative'' patients who had micrometastases in the sentinel node, increasing detection in 8% of cases. More important, is the fact however, that there were no cases where additional sections and immunohistochemistry identi®ed metastases in nonsentinel nodes that had bypassed the sentinel node. The accuracy of the sentinel node in predicting the nodal status was 100%. Conclusions: Cytokeratin immunohistochemistry will identify more patients with nodal micrometastases; however, it was unable to identify any cases where micrometastases were present in nonsentinel nodes when the sentinel node was negative. The status of the sentinel node accurately identi®es the status of the axillary basin.

Sentinel node biopsy should be supplemented by axillary sampling in patients with small breast cancers

International seminars in surgical oncology : ISSO, 2005

Axillary clearance provides important prognostic information but is associated with significant morbidity. Sentinel node biopsy can provide staging .141 patients with node negative early breast cancers-tumour size less than 1.5 cm measured clinically or by imaging had guided axillary sampling (sentinel lymph node biopsy in combination with axillary sampling). Four node axillary sampling improved the detection rate of axillary node metastases by 13.6% as compared to blue dye sentinel node biopsy alone. Positive sampled nodes strongly indicated the likelihood of further metastatic being revealed by axillary dissection (67%). Negative sampled nodes in combination with a positive sentinel node biopsy were associated with a much lower rate of further nodal involvement in the axillary clearance (8%).

Staging the Axilla with selective sentinel node biopsy in patients with previous excision of non-palpable and palpable breast cancer

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 2008

Purpose To present our experience in the therapeutic approach of the sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in patients with previous excision of the breast cancer, divided in non-palpable and palpable lesions, in comparison with time treatment and stagement of breast cancer. Methods In the period 2001–2006, 138 patients with prior diagnostic excisional biopsy (96 non-palpable and 42 palpable breast cancer) and 328 without previous surgery (32 non-palpable; 296 palpable cancer) were treated. The combined technique (99mTc-colloidal rhenium and isosulfan blue dye) was the approach for sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection. Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) was completed only when the SLN was positive for metastasis or not located. Results Detection rate, if there was prior surgery, was 95% for non-palpable and 98% for palpable cancer, and 99% for one-time treatment group. Metastasis rate in the SLN was 15% in non-palpable cancer (14/91), significantly smaller than in palpable breast cancer (39% if prior surgery and 37% in one-time surgery). According to tumoral size, ALND metastasis rate was similar for T1 and T2 tumors (43–44%). In the follow-up of the groups with prior diagnostic biopsy or surgery of the breast cancer we have not found any false negative in the axilla. Conclusion The detection of the SLN is also feasible in patients with previous surgery of breast cancer. Because SLN metastasis rates are significantly smaller in non-palpable lesions, the effort in screening programs for early detection of breast cancer and also in improving histopathological confirmation of malignancy with ultrasound or stereotactic guided core biopsies must continue.

Can sentinel node biopsy avoid axillary dissection in clinically node-negative breast cancer patients?

The Breast, 1998

S U MMA R Y. In a consecutive series of 241 women with operable breast cancer and clinically negative axillary lymph nodes, 99mTc was injected on the day before surgery, and scintigraphic images were taken. During breast surgery a handheld gamma ray detector was used to locate the sentinel node and facilitate its removal separately via a small axillary incision. Complete axillary lymphadenectomy was then performed. The sentinel node accurately predicted axillary lymph node status in 232 (97.5%) of the 238 patients in whom a sentinel node was identified, and in all of the cases with a tumour cl.2 cm in diameter (38 patients). Of the 109 cases with metastatic axillary nodes, in 39 (35.8%) the only positive node was the sentinel node. In the great majority of patients, lymphoscintigraphy and gamma probe-guided surgery can locate the sentinel node in the axilla, obtaining important information on the status of axillary nodes.