Micrometastasis in the sentinel node and axillary lymph node macrometastasis in breast cancer

作者：Cordero Garcia J M; Delgado Portela M; Garcia Vicente A M; Pilkington Woll J P; Palomar Munoz M A; Poblete Garcia V M; Bellon Guardia M E; Pardo Garcia R; Rabadan Ruiz L; Soriano Castrejon A M

来源：Revista Espanola de Medicina Nuclear, 2010, 29(3): 122-126.

DOI：10.1016/j.remn.2010.03.001

• Sentinel node
• Micrometastasis
• Breast neoplasms
• Axillary lymph node dissection

Aim: The study of the sentinel node has made it possible to obtain more comprehensive knowledge about the extent of axillary involvement in breast cancer. It has also decreased the surgical morbidity associated to the surgical examination of the axilla. The systematic use of immunohistochemical staining and molecular biology techniques improves the ability to detect the presence of micrometastasis or isolated tumor cells in a significant number of cases when this is the only sign of the lymph node extension of the disease. The possibility of avoiding complete axillary lymphadenectomy in those patients who are only affected by micrometastasis is proposed because of the low incidence of further involvement of the remaining lymph nodes.
Material and method: 159 patients diagnosed of stage T1 or 12 breast cancer, in which the sentinel node had been identified by scintigraphy and intraoperative localization, were included in the study. Complete axillary lymphadenectomy was performed when micro- or macrometastases were found in the sentinel node, in order to determine the degree of axillary involvement.
Results: A total of 40 patients (25%) showed infiltration of the sentinel node. This infiltration was only by micrometastasis in 17 of them (10.7%). Of these 17 patients, only 2 (11.8%) showed macrometastasis in the lymphadenectomy. In the remaining subjects, the final staging reached after the sentinel node study was not modified.
Conclusion: It is possible to speculate that, in the future, axillary dissection can be avoided in those patients diagnosed of micrometastasis in the sentinel node, pending the conclusions of the on-going multicenter studies.

• 出版日期2010-6