Clinical value of postoperative sentinel lymph node biopsy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Pathology

Background:

• Analysis of clinical data for breast cancer patients undergoing lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).
• Investigating the influence of tumor location on sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection rates.
• Promoting the adoption of SLNB procedures in local healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the effect of tumor location on the sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection rate following lumpectomy.
• To enhance understanding of the SLNB procedure's efficacy based on tumor site.
• To encourage wider implementation of SLNB in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 118 breast cancer patients from July 2015 to June 2019.
• Patients underwent lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).
• Evaluation of tumor location's role in SLN detection success.

Main Results:

• Overall SLNB detection rate was 86.4% (102/118 patients).
• Tumor location in the upper outer quadrant (UOQ) near the axilla showed a significantly lower SLN detection rate (30%).
• Tumors in other quadrants or UOQ near the areola had a high SLN detection rate (90.8%).

Conclusions:

• Tumor location is a critical factor affecting post-lumpectomy SLNB performance.
• SLNB is recommended for tumors in the upper inner, lower outer, lower inner quadrants, or UOQ near the areola.
• For UOQ tumors near the axilla, core needle biopsy (CNB) before SLNB is advised; SLNB may not be optimal.