Lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer

• Published in: British journal of surgery Vol. 85; no. 10; pp. 1347 - 1356
• Main Authors: Mcintosh, S. A., Purushotham, A. D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.10.1998; Wiley
• Subjects: Axilla; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy - methods; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Female; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Lymph Node Excision - methods; Lymph Nodes - pathology; Lymphatic Metastasis; Mammary gland diseases; Medical sciences; Neoplasm Staging - methods; Tumors; Surgical biopsy; Human; Mammary gland diseases; Cartography; Lymph node; Surgery; Stage classification; Exploration; Review; Mammary gland; Malignant tumor; Bibliographic review
• ISSN: 0007-1323; 1365-2168
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2168.1998.00934.x

Background Sentinel lymph node biopsy is a recently developed, minimally invasive technique for staging the axilla in patients with breast cancer. It has been suggested that this technique will avoid the morbidity associated with more extensive axillary dissection. A wide range of different methods and materials has been employed for lymphatic mapping, but there has been little consensus on the most reliable and reproducible technique. Methods This is a comprehensive review of all published literature on sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer, using the Medline and Embase databases and cross‐referencing of major articles on the subject. Results and conclusion Sentinel node biopsy is a valid technique in breast cancer management, providing valuable axillary staging information. The optimal technique of lymphatic mapping utilizes a combination of vital blue dye and radiolabelled colloid. However, there remain controversial issues which require to be resolved before sentinel node biopsy becomes a widely accepted part of breast cancer care. © 1998 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd