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Updated: Apr 24, 2026
Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping and Biopsy for Endometrial Cancer at Early Stage with Laparoscopy
Published on: August 19, 2021
Feasibility and accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy in clinically node-positive breast cancer after neoadjuvant
Jian-Fei Fu1, Hai-Long Chen2, Jiao Yang2
1Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Chinese Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Institute of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Department of Oncology, Jinhua Central Hospital, Jinhua Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, China.
Abstract:
Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has replaced conventional axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in axillary node-negative breast cancer patients. However, the use of SLNB remains controversial in patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). The aim of this review is to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of SLNB after NAC in clinically node-positive patients. Systematic searches were performed in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases from 1993 to December 2013 for studies on node-positive breast cancer patients who underwent SLNB after NAC followed by ALND. Of 436 identified studies, 15 were included in this review, with a total of 2,471 patients. The pooled identification rate (IR) of SLNB was 89% [95% confidence interval (CI) 85-93%], and the false negative rate (FNR) of SLNB was 14% (95% CI 10-17%). The heterogeneity of FNR was analyzed by meta-regression, and the results revealed that immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining may represent an independent factor (P = 0.04). FNR was lower in the IHC combined with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining subgroup than in the H&E staining alone subgroup, with values of 8.7% versus 16.0%, respectively (P = 0.001). Thus, SLNB was feasible after NAC in node-positive breast cancer patients. In addition, the IR of SLNB was respectable, although the FNR of SLNB was poor and requires further improvement. These findings indicate that IHC may improve the accuracy of SLNB.
