George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu
Mures, The 8th International Medical Congress for Students and Young Doctors, September 24-26, 2020Introduction. The feasibility of sentinel lymph node biopsy examination for breast cancer
patients that had no clinically detected lymph nodes and underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy
have been analyzed by injecting blue dye into the area near the tumor.
Aim of the study. Axillary status is one of the most important prognostic factors for breast
cancer. Sentinel node biopsy has become a standard procedure for axillary staging in clinically
node-negative patients. This technique brings out important information that helps physician
in therapeutic management of these patients. Lymphadenectomy is an invasive procedure
associated with higher morbidity and complications that has shown to be unnecessary in some
cases of breast cancer.
Materials and methods.. Forty patients with stages 0-II breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant
chemotherapy were enrolled in the study. The sentinel node biopsy was performed after blue dye injection into the tumor. Sentinel nodes stained bright blue and were removed. The sentinel
nodes have been examined under the microscope for cancer signs. Depending on the biopsy
results this was followed or not by lymphadenectomy . Parameters like age, size of tumor,
Nottingham grade, presence of hormonal receptors, HER 2 enriche, presence of
microcalcification, necrosis and inflammatory infiltrate have been studied to predict the risk of
axillary metastasis.
Results. Forty patients received SLN biopsy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Ten cases (25%)
of these had positive sentinel lymph nodes confirmed by anatomopathological examination.
Lymphadenectomy procedure have been performed and only 3 of them (30%) had metastatic
lymph nodes in the rest of the axilla.
Conclusions. SLN biopsy accuracy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is still debated in
literature. Thirty of our patients were saved form an unnecessary axillary lymph node
dissection by using SLN biopsy technique
