Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Prophylactic Mastectomy: Necessary Precaution or Unnecessary Procedure?

The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in prophylactic mastectomy remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic yield of SLNB and the incidence of occult malignancy in prophylactic nipple-sparing mastectomies (NSMs).

We performed a review of a prospectively maintained NSM database at Massachusetts General Hospital (2007-2019). Patients undergoing bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (BPM) or contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) were included. Clinicopathologic features, BRCA status, magnetic resonance imaging findings, and SLNB results were analyzed.

A total of 1624 prophylactic NSMs were performed in 1331 patients (36.1% BPM, 63.9% CPM). SLNB was performed in 53.4% of cases; three patients (0.4%) had positive nodes (two isolated tumor cells in the CPM cohort, one micrometastasis in the BPM cohort), and no macrometastatic disease was identified. Occult cancer was found in 91 cases (5.6%), more frequently in CPMs than in BPMs (6.9 vs. 3.2%, p=0.002). Most occult cancers were in situ (71.4%), and, among invasive cancers, 88.5% were luminal A subtype with a median size of 0.6 cm. Prior ipsilateral radiation and contralateral breast cancer also increased risk. On multivariable analysis, BRCA1/2 positivity was independently associated with a decreased risk of occult cancer (odds ratio 0.47; 95% confidence interval 0.23-0.92; p=0.034). Among patients with occult cancer who underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, 55.3% had false-negative findings.

Occult malignancy was uncommon, and SLNB positivity was exceedingly rare in prophylactic NSMs. Routine SLNB is not justified in this setting and should be reserved for select higher-risk scenarios. Personalized, risk-adapted approaches to axillary management and preoperative imaging are warranted.