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Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping and Biopsy for Endometrial Cancer at Early Stage with Laparoscopy
Published on: August 19, 2021
Comparative Study between Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy and Axillary Dissection in Patients with One or Two Lymph Node
Jina Lee1, Jung Eun Choi2, Sei Joong Kim3
1Department of Surgery, Daejeon St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
For early breast cancer patients with one or two positive lymph nodes, sentinel lymph node biopsy alone is as effective as axillary lymph node dissection in terms of survival outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Surgical Oncology
- Breast Cancer Research
Background:
- Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is standard for early breast cancer axillary staging.
- Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) traditionally follows positive SLNB.
- Recent trials suggest ALND may be unnecessary for limited positive nodes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare outcomes in Korean early breast cancer patients with 1-2 positive lymph nodes.
- To evaluate survival differences between SLNB alone versus SLNB plus ALND.
- To assess the oncologic safety of omitting ALND in selected patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 4,442 Korean patients (1995-2014) from the Korea Breast Cancer Society registry.
- Inclusion criteria: T1-2 stage, 1-2 positive lymph nodes, breast-conserving surgery, radiation, no neoadjuvant therapy.
- Comparison of disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) between SLNB-only and SLNB+ALND groups.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in DSS (p=0.378) or OS (p=0.925) between the SLNB-only (1,268 patients) and SLNB+ALND (3,174 patients) groups.
- Increasing trend in SLNB-alone procedures for 1-2 positive nodes observed from 2004-2014.
- SLNB alone was performed in 28.6% of the studied cohort.
Conclusions:
- Omitting ALND in early breast cancer patients with 1-2 positive lymph nodes is oncologically safe.
- Selected patients can be treated with breast-conserving surgery plus SLNB without subsequent ALND.
- Findings support a less invasive approach for early-stage breast cancer with limited nodal involvement.
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