.................................................................................................. 7 Introduction ............................................................................................ 9 Review of the Literature ............................................................................ 11 1. Breast Cancer Incidence and Survival ..............................................

Validation of sentinel lymph node (SLN) dissection (SLND) as an alternative to axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) has been a significant advance in the surgical management of breast cancer. As detailed in the review by Pilewskie and Morrow,[1] clinical trials have proven that in clinically node-negative patients, SLND provides accurate staging with less morbidity, and that ALND can be omitte...

Abstract Background: The axillary lymph node stage is one of the single most important determinants in the prognosis of breast cancer patients. The disadvantages of the two previous methods used for evaluating axillary node metastasis, i.e., axillary lymph node dissection and sentinel lymph node biopsy, have directed researchers to investigate new techniques for this purpose. The aim of the cur...

PURPOSE We report on laparoscopic retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) in a morbidly obese patient to discuss the associated technical steps for satisfactory completion of staging lymphadenectomy. METHODS A laparoscopic RPLND was performed using a modified template on the left side. Initially, 4 ports were placed with the patient in the supine position. Three were placed 3 cm to the ...

BACKGROUND The new trend in diagnosis of the lymph node is sentinel node biopsy. This method has become increasingly accepted as a minimally invasive alternative to routine axillary dissection. Although the results of numerous studies have shown that sentinel node biopsy can accurately determine the axillary nodal status, the identification rates and false-negative rates have been variable. The...

Background The sentinel lymph node (SLN) is the first node in the axilla to harbor malignant cells in breast tumors with metastasis, and its positivity is an indication for axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). The accurate evaluation of the SLN, to identify even the smallest metastatic foci is essential prior to complete ALND. We propose to characterize the tumor cells present at the SLN usin...

Objective: Axillary lymph node status is one of the most important prognostic indicator of survival for breast cancer, especially in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) should be performed in patients with an initial diagnosis of DCIS. Methods: A retrospective study was performed of 124 patients with an initial ...