Sentinel Lenf Node Biopsy Results Used in Early Stage Breast Cancer in a Practice in the Last Year

Aim: In the evaluation of axillary lymph nodes in early stage breast cancer, routine axillary dissection has been left to the sentinel lymph node dissection. When sentinel lymph node biopsy is performed with high accuracy of the axillary region, complications due to axillary dissection do not develop. We also examined our sentinel lymph node biopsy in early stage breast cancer in our study. Material and Methods: Sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed in 22 patients with early stage breast cancer diagnosed at Suleyman Demirel University Medical Faculty Hospital in 2014. The files of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. Results: A 81.2% of 22 patients who received sentinel lymph node biopsy underwent breast conserving surgery and 18.2% had simple mastectomy. Sentinel lymph node biopsy revealed a median of 1.9 lymph nodes (min: 1-max: 3). As a result of the frozen examination, 81.8% of the lymph nodes were benign and 18.2% were malignant. In all of the axillary lymph node malignancies, the tumor showed upper external quadrant placement and 75% had lymphovascular invasion. This disease was supplemented by axillary dissection. Metastatic lymph nodes were not detected in one patient except sentinel lymph node. Conclusion: In our study, sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed for all early stage breast cancer negative for axilla diagnosed in our clinic.