[Sentinel node biopsy in patients with breast cancer and previous breast surgery]

The aim of this study was to establish the efficacy and safety of sentinel lymph node biopsy for lymph node staging in patients with breast cancer and prior breast surgery, considering its extension, localization and time since the previous surgical procedure.

A sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed in 38 patients with early breast cancer and previous breast surgery: recent excisional biopsy in 22 patients (Group I), previous lumpectomy or mammoplasty in 16, including one case of cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery (tumor recurrence). Lymphoscintigraphy was performed after periareolar injection, also sometimes adding an injection near to the surgical scar. After removing the sentinel node, axillary lymph node dissection was performed when the lymph node was positive (and not localized).

The efficacy of the scintigraphic localization of the sentinel node was 92.1% of the patients, with 15.8% of extra-axillary drainages. Axillary intraoperative detection was 81.6%. The identification rate after recent excisional biopsy or previous surgery was similar (81.8 vs 81.2%). However, extra-axillary sentinel nodes were more frequent in Group II (9.1 vs 25%). Having a localization of previous surgical procedures in upper outer quadrant caused drainages outside of the axilla more frequently (27.2 vs 11.1%). Axillary detection rate was similar to other quadrants (81.8 vs 81.5%). The rate of breast cancer-related events was 5.2% (2/38), without axillary recurrences (mean follow-up: 3 years).

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with previous but not extensive breast surgery is safe. Extra-axillary drainages are more common when the previous surgical area was wide, especially in the upper-outer quadrant.