Axillary Recurrence Rate in Breast Cancer Patients With Negative Sentinel Lymph Node (SLN) or SLN Micrometastases

Abstract

Axillary recurrences in patients with negative SLN or SLN micrometastases did not occur more frequently after SLN biopsy alone compared with results from the recent literature regarding breast cancer patients undergoing formal ALND. Based on a median follow-up of 42 months-one of the longest so far in the literature-the present investigation does not provide evidence that the presence of SLN micrometastases leads to axillary recurrence or distant disease and supports the theory that formal ALND may be omitted in these patients.