Sentinel node biopsy for breast cancer: technical aspects and controversies

Sentinel node biopsy has rapidly emerged as a minimally invasive, highly accurate method of axillary staging, and has replaced routine axillary lymph node dissection as the new standard of care in breast cancer. However, many practical problems remain and details of the technique have not been standardized yet. Guideline recommendations help us to perform appropriate sentinel node biopsy and pathological examination. We should perform sentinel node biopsy without deviation from such consensus guidelines. The technical controversies of sentinel node biopsy are discussed in this article and the results of our studies about sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer are reviewed.