[Routine sentinel node detection in breast cancer. Experience of the Curie Institute]

Since January 2000, sentinel lymph node detection is routinely performed at the Institut Curie, involving a multidisciplinary team of trained surgeons, nuclear medicine physicians, radiologists and pathologists. During a three-year period, 738 patients undergoing tumorectomy with conservative surgical treatment of the breast were included in the sentinel node procedure consisting of systematic pre-operative tumor biopsies, peritumoral lymph tracer injections at tumor contact (radionuclide/blue dye), primary surgical removal of the first sentinel lymph node, frozen section diagnosis, followed by a standardized pathological analysis, and finally the application of precise criteria to determine whether further surgery is necessary. This article is an evaluation of the sentinel lymph node technique in a specialized Center providing a breakdown of the strong points and weak points of the procedure.