Who are suitable to undergo sentinel lymph node biopsy?
Not every breast cancer patient is suitable to undergo sentinel lymph node biopsy. The most suitable patient is one who has a small and solitary primary tumour, and for whom physical examination and/or other imaging modalities do not show any suspicious lymph nodes in the drainage area of the breast. Generally speaking, patients who have had previous operations in the upper outer quadrant of the breasts are not suitable to undergo sentinel lymph node biopsy because the main channels are usually damaged. What are the advantages of sentinel lymph node biopsy? If the sentinel lymph nodes are negative, the patient can avoid further axillary dissection. Though axillary dissection is a safe procedure, it is associated with a small chance of lymphoedema. After axillary dissection, a drain will be inserted and this will prolong hospitalization. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is a more accurate method of staging compared to conventional axillary dissection. In Sentinel lymph node biopsy the number
