Sentinel lymph node biopsy is accurate for staging.

2003 JUN 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is useful for staging breast cancer and is associated with fewer complications than more extensive axillary lymph node dissection, which has been considered the standard procedure for staging breast cancer, according to new research.

Axillary lymph node metastasis (spreading of cancerous cells associated with breast cancer to the axillary lymph node), is an important indicator of the stage to which the breast cancer has progressed, according to information in the study. ALND (removal of all of the axillary lymph nodes) is associated with complication rates of 20-55%, including arm lymphedema (swelling of the tissues of the arm), nerve damage, hemorrhage and localized swelling. Previous studies suggest that SLN biopsy may be a better approach for staging because it involves removal of the first lymph node that receives lymphatic drainage from a breast cancer.

D. Kay Blanchard, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues compared the complications and spread of cancer in women who underwent SLN alone to women who underwent both SLN and ALND. Findings were published in the Archives of Surgery.

Women with primary invasive breast cancer (n=1253) who underwent SLN biopsy between October 14, 1997 and August 31, 2001 were studied. ALND was performed in 164 patients after SLN as part of a training program for surgeons. Patients were contacted by questionnaire or telephone to ...