Sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer: a result of 126 cases / 中国普通外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the significance of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLND) in clinical stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ breast cancer patients. MethodsFrom January 1999 to January 2000, 126 patients with clinically stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ breast cancer received SLND guided by methylenc blue staining, and axillary lymph nodes clearance. Multilevel section and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed in lymph nodes of patients with negative nodes. Results SN was identified in 95/126 cases(75.4%). The sensitivity of SLND was 91.7%, the specificity was 100%. It had 100% positive predictability and 92.5% negative predictability. The accuracy rate of intraoperative frozen-section examination of SN was 93.4%. One of 35 patients (2.9%) with H&E negative nodes had evidence of lymph node metastasis in the SN by multilevel sectioning and IHC.ConclusionSLND is extremely accurate in prediction of the lymph node status in patients with breast cancer. Multilevel sectioning and IHC analysis of SN improves the sensitivity of this staging technique.