Current technical overviews of sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is based on the hypothesis that the sentinel lymph node (SLN) reflects the lymph-node status and a negative SLN might allow complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) to be avoided. Although the survival outcome is still unknown, this technique has already become a standard of care for breast cancer patients. However, it is still important to discuss current techniques and some controversies. This article reviews these issues for a variety of SLNB techniques.