Association of the Presence of Bone Marrow Micrometastases with the Sentinel Lymph Node Status in 410 Early Stage Breast Cancer Patients: Results of the Swiss Multicenter Study

Background The sentinel lymph node (SLN) status has proven to accurately reflect the remaining axillary lymph nodes and represents the most important prognostic factor. It is unknown whether an association exists between the SLN status and the presence of bone marrow (BM) micrometastases. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate whether or not such an association exists.