Surgical Lymphadenectomy: The Impact of Sentinel Node Mapping in Breast Cancer

Lymphatic mapping continues to grow in utility both as a diagnostic aid and as a method for performing less morbid, potentially therapeutic lymphadenectomies. Its use in breast cancer has become the standard of care for staging and sentinel lymph node dissection is considered sufficiently therapeutic for low-volume axillary disease. Lymphatic mapping has re-emphasized the importance of adequate lymphatic staging both in terms of the amount of lymph nodes resected and the amount of each lymph node that is assessed. Going forward, these concepts continue to be adopted into other tumors, with active investigations ongoing in gastrointestinal cancers, head and neck cancers, and gynecologic cancers.