Current technical overviews of sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer

Abstract

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is based on the hypothesis that the sentinel lymph node (SLN) reflects the lymph-node status and a negative SLN might allow complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) to be avoided. Although the survival outcome is still unknown, this technique has already become a standard of care for breast cancer patients. However, it is still important to discuss current techniques and some controversies. This article reviews these issues for a variety of SLNB techniques.