Sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer

Abstract

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an emerging surgical technique to improve lymph node staging for breast cancer. Despite the rapid development of this technique, there remain aspects of SLNB that need to be further defined to provide a standardized approach. Variables, including patient selection, technical details for the performance of SLNB, extent of pathologic evaluation of the sentinel lymph node, and the impact of micrometastases, are areas of controversy. This paper reviews the controversies and discusses available data as well as personal experience and opinion.