Techniques with overview of sentinel lymph node biopsy in early breast cancer: a review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-2902.isj20261078Keywords:
Sentinel lymph node biopsy, Axillary lymph node dissection, Breast cancer, Sentinel lymph node, Breast conserving surgery, False negative rateAbstract
The sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) technique has been developed and validated in past three decades. It has been demonstrated to be feasible, accurate, and less morbid than axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), as a standard initial approach in patients with early-stage breast cancer. The techniques and management decision of SLNB in comparison with ALND was carried out by literature search from PubMed, Medline, Clinical key and clinical trials.com, ranging from 2010 to 2025. Despite variability in selection criteria and technique, sentinel lymph node is consistently identified in approximately 96 percent of patients predicting the status of remaining axillar lymph nodes in greater than 95 percent patients. Failure to map in a SLNB eligible patients or with three or more sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) positive should undergo ALND for staging and to maximize local control. There is no one size fits all SLNB technique, but the choice depends upon institutional resources, patient factors, logistics, surgeons experience. Multidisciplinary team approach with quality assurance and auditing to minimize false negative SLN rate (FNR) to achieve better patient outcome.
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