Sentinel lymph node biopsy without axillary dissection after an intraoperative negative histological investigation in 358 invasive breast cancer cases

Background Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an important treatment option for breast cancer patients, as it can accurately predict axillary status. Our previous study using dye with or without radioisotope showed the accuracy and sensitivity of SLNB to be 97% and 94%, respectively. Based on these results, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) was eliminated starting in January, 1999 in patients with intraoperatively negative SLNB at our institution. The present study shows the results and outcomes of SLNB as a sole procedure for patients with invasive breast cancer.