The utility of intraoperative evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer

In breast cancer treatment, intraoperative sentinel lymph node (SLN) evaluation is used to identify patients who may potentially benefit from immediate completion of axillary lymph node dissection. Prospectively collected breast cancer registry data identified 516 SLN biopsies between January 2003 a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of surgical oncology 2007-03, Vol.14 (3), p.1024-1030
Main Authors: Pugliese, Matthew S, Tickman, Ronald, Wang, Nan Ping, Atwood, Mary, Beatty, J David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Axilla
Breast cancer
Breast Neoplasms - pathology
Breast Neoplasms - surgery
False Negative Reactions
Female
Humans
Intraoperative Care - methods
Lymph Node Excision
Lymph Nodes - pathology
Middle Aged
Neoplasm Staging
Prospective Studies
Sensitivity and Specificity
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
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Summary:In breast cancer treatment, intraoperative sentinel lymph node (SLN) evaluation is used to identify patients who may potentially benefit from immediate completion of axillary lymph node dissection. Prospectively collected breast cancer registry data identified 516 SLN biopsies between January 2003 and December 2005. Intraoperative evaluation (IE) of the SLNs was performed in 479 axillae. Final pathology by hematoxylin and eosin and, for negative nodes, by immunohistochemical stains was compared with the IE result. The effect of IE and final pathology on surgical treatment was examined. The sensitivities for IE of N0(i+) (n = 39), N1mi (n = 41), and N1a-3a (n = 89) metastases were 0%, 5%, and 63%, respectively. The specificity was 99.7%. IE identified 57 (44%) of SLN-positive (N1mi and N1a-3a) axillae, thus resulting in synchronous axillary lymph node dissection for those patients. Reoperation for false-negative IEs (N1mi or N1a-3a with negative IE) occurred in only 27 axillae (39%). IE of SLNs has adequate sensitivity and excellent specificity. In addition to allowing patients to benefit from synchronous surgery, IE helped patients to receive care in concordance with recommended practice guidelines. The false-negative IE of SLNs highlights uncertainty with the clinical significance of axillary nodal staging when only small amounts of metastatic disease are identified in the axilla.
ISSN:1068-9265
1534-4681
DOI:10.1245/s10434-006-9270-y