Sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer - The Aarhus experience

Eighty patients, with newly diagnosed unifocal breast cancer and with no ax iliary metastases verified by ultrasonography, underwent sentinel lymph nod e (SLN) and subsequent axillary lymph node dissection. To identify the SLN, we used a combination of Tc-99m labelled colloid (Albures) and blue dye (P atent Blue V) injected peritumorally. Lymphoscintigraphy was not performed. The SLN was successfully identified in 78 out of 80 patients (97.5%); 43 p atients (54%) were found to have metastatic disease. In 33 patients (77%) t he SLN was the only node involved. No false-negative nodes were found, defi ned as SLNs that rested negative but with higher nodes that tested positive . If SLN biopsy is accepted as a routine procedure and when the exact indic ations are defined, the method described probably could be offered to the m ajority of breast cancer patients.