前哨淋巴结活检术替代腋窝淋巴结清扫术在乳腺癌中的临床应用

目的探讨前哨淋巴结活检术（SLNB）替代腋窝淋巴结清扫术（ALND）在早期乳腺癌患者中的应用价值和安全性。方法对2003年1月到2005年12月期间行前哨淋巴结活检术替代腋窝清扫术的125例患者作为研究组,对同一时期行腋窝清扫术且术后病理淋巴结阳性个数≤1的45例患者作为对照组;比较两组患者术后上肢并发症的发生情况及腋窝复发情况。结果SLNB替代ALND术后上肢麻木、肿胀、疼痛、僵硬、上肢活动受限及肌力减退方面的并发症均明显较ALND少,在随访36．5个月中,仅出现一例腋窝复发。结论前哨淋巴结活检术替代腋窝淋巴结清扫术术后并发症明显减少,腋窝复发率低,是早期乳腺癌患者的安全分期手术。     

The role of micrometastatic disease in sentinel lymph node in breast cancer

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is the standard procedure for axillary node staging in breast cancer. Improvements in histopathological analysis and immunohistochemistry have recently increased the rate of detection of lymph nodal micrometastases. The clinical implications and prognostic significance of micrometastases in SLN still remain a controversial issue. Literature review was analyzed by searches of Medline and PubMed data bases. Whereas most studies carried on small groups of patients did not show differences in survival, recently some studies with longer follow-up and with larger populations demonstrated that prognosis of patients with micrometastases is worse compared to that of patients with SLN free of disease. To date, completion axillary dissection remains the standard option when a macro or micrometastasis (0.2-2 mm) in the SLN is found. However, in absence of level-1 evidence guidelines, each case requires discussion in the context of a multi-disciplinary team.     

Comparison of side effects between sentinel lymph node and axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer

Background Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is often associated with permanent arm side effects. Side effects after sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) should be less common, because the surgery is less extensive. Methods The study compared side effects and interference with daily life between 169 women who underwent an SLND and 78 who underwent an ALND for breast cancer. Patients rated symptom severity and interference with daily life caused by pain, numbness, limitation of arm range of motion (ROM), and arm swelling at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery by using the Measure of Arm Symptom Survery. Repeated-measures and regression analyses for each time period were used to determine associations between symptoms and dissection type. Results At 1 month, SLND patients reported less pain, numbness, limitation in ROM, and seromas than ALND patients. At 6 months, SLND patients had less pain, numbness, and arm swelling, and at 12 months, SLND patients had less numbness, arm swelling, and limitation in ROM than ALND patients. At 1 month, pain, numbness, and limitation in ROM interfered significantly more with daily life for ALND patients. At 6 and 12 months, only numbness interfered more with daily life for ALND patients. Conclusions SLND was associated with fewer side effects than ALND at all time points.     

Selective sentinel lymph node dissection in breast cancer: experiences from Taiwan

The significance of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) was examined in 58 Chinese breast cancer patients. The method of technetium-99m sulfur colloid injection and the intraoperative gamma probe was found to be very useful for identifying the SLN. The positive predictive value was 64.5%, and the negative predictive value was 93.2%. Findings suggest that lymph node dissection is not necessary in breast cancer patients with a negative SLN.     

乳腺癌前哨淋巴结活检替代腋窝清扫术前瞻性非随机对照临床研究

目的：探讨前哨淋巴结活检术（sentinel lymph node biopsy，SLNB）替代腋淋巴结切除术（axiHary lymph node dissection．ALND）的可行性。方法：联合应用亚甲蓝和^99mTc标记的硫胶体进行SLNB。2001年12月起山东省肿瘤医院乳腺病中心两个治疗组收治的临床T1.2N0M0乳腺癌病人进入本前瞻性非随机对照临床研究。A组病人SLNB后均行ALND。B组病人签署知情同意书，不同意SLNB替代ALND病人（B1组）治疗同A组；同意SLNB替代ALND病人（B2组）依据SLN状况，SLN阴性仅行SLNB，SLN阳性行ALND。结果：2001年12月-2005年6月共入组642例病人，其中A组114例（17．8％），B组528例（82.2％），B1组195例，B2组333例。B2组病人SLN阴性240例仅行SLNB；SLN阳性93例，其中87例接受ALND，另6例SLN镜下微小转移灶者中4例仅行SLNB，2例接受SLNB加区域淋巴结放疗。SLNB替代ALND者各项术后并发症显著低于ALND者（均P〈0．05）。B2组244例仅行SLNB病人中位随访26个月（7-48个月），2例病人发现区域淋巴结复发（0．82％），与ALND腋淋巴结阴性组病人（0％）相比差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。SLN术中冰冻快速病理诊断准确率98．5％，假阴性率5．4％。结论：SLNB可以缩小手术范围、减少病人术后并发症。SLN术中冰冻快速病理诊断具有较高的准确性，能够满足临床需要。     

乳腺癌前哨淋巴结活检中的若干问题

腋淋巴结切除术（axillary lymph node dissection，ALND）一直是浸润性乳腺癌腋窝处理的标准治疗模式。但存有影响病人生存质量的并发症，理论上讲对腋淋巴结阴性病人无治疗意义。近年出现的前哨淋巴结活检术（sentinel lymph node dissection，SLND）促使人们对ALND的作用进行重新认识。SLND和淋巴管显像技术可以发现淋巴引流至腋窝以外的淋巴结，其对乳腺癌分期、预后及治疗的作用已被纳入第六版AJCC乳腺癌分期系统。目前。浸润性乳腺癌腋窝处理的模式综合了ALND、SLND、腋窝放疗以及系统治疗的结果。本文对乳腺癌SLND存在的若干问题进行探讨。     

The role of the sentinel lymph node in gastrointestinal cancer

Evaluation of the clinical significance of the sentinel node concept in GI cancer has just begun. The authors' preliminary data, using intraoperative radiation techniques and the gamma probe, suggest that it is worthwhile to continue the evaluation of this procedure to determine its role in an accurate staging and a minimally invasive approach to GI cancers.     

Micrometastasis in the sentinel lymph node of breast cancer does not mandate completion axillary dissection

OBJECTIVE: To determine if micrometastatic disease in the sentinel lymph node is a predictor of non-sentinel lymph node (non-SLN) involvement in breast cancer. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLN) is an accepted alternative to axillary dissection in staging breast cancer. If the SLN contains metastatic foci, the standard recommendation is completion axillary node dissection (CAD). However, a large subset of patients with metastasis limited to the SLN is unnecessarily subjected to the morbidity of CAD. METHODS: A retrospective review of prospectively gathered breast cancer patients having SLN was conducted. Patients with metastasis to the SLN were selected for analysis. Various clinicopathologic features were analyzed for association with metastasis to the non-SLN. RESULTS: A total of 194 women underwent successful SLN dissection. Metastasis to the SLN was found in 48 patients (21 had micrometastases, 27 had macrometastases). Of those with micrometastases, 16 underwent CAD with 1 patient having metastasis to the non-SLN. In patients with macrometastases, 26 had CAD with 14 patients having non-SLN metastasis. Multivariable logistic regression identified only macrometastatic disease in the SLN as significantly associated with involvement of the non-SLN (P = 0.03). None of the patients with micrometastases, including those without CAD, has evidence of local recurrence to date (3-30 months). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the incidence of non-SLN involvement is low in SLN that contains only micrometastatic foci and is within the accepted range of the false-negative rate of SLN. This suggests that a CAD may be omitted in patients with micrometastatic disease.     

乳腺癌前哨淋巴结活检的实践与体会

目的评价乳腺癌前哨淋巴结活检(sentinel lymph node biopsy,SLNB)的可行性,并分析影响该技术成功率的相关因素。方法术前于肿瘤周围皮内分别注射放射性胶体和蓝色染料两种前哨淋巴结示踪剂,术前先行淋巴闪烁扫描,术中应用γ计数探测仪检测,并结合淋巴结蓝染情况定位SLN,切除SLN后再行腋窝淋巴结清扫(axillary lymph node dissection,ALND),两标本均行组织学检查。结果全组116例乳腺癌SLNB的检出率98.3%,该技术的灵敏度93.6%,准确性97.4%,假阴性6.4%。结论乳腺癌SLNB是一种简便、安全的检测技术,可用于了解腋窝淋巴结的状况,有望在早期乳腺癌中取代常规的ALND。     

前哨淋巴结活检在乳腺癌中的临床应用

目的 探讨术中前哨淋巴结（sentinel lymph node,SLN）定位和活检（SLNB）对预测乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结（axillary lymph node,ALN）转移的准确性.方法 对48例乳腺癌患者术前10min用亚甲蓝注射液4ml注射到肿瘤周围或活检腔的正常乳腺组织,进行SLN定位和活检,然后行乳腺癌改良根治术.结果 SLNB的检出成功率为95.8%,准确率为97.8%,假阴性率3.0%,假阳性率为0.结论 用亚甲蓝作SLN定位进行SLNB能准确预测乳腺癌ALN转移状态.     

Contralateral axillary sentinel lymph node in breast cancer recurrence

The rare but significant reports of aberrant lymph node drainage outside of the ipsilateral axilla in patients with breast cancer necessitate a review of the staging and treatment strategies for these patients. Current staging modalities continue to describe this phenomenon as a stage IV cancer, which could have profound implications for clinical management. We report a case of a patient with recurrent right breast invasive ductal carcinoma whose preoperative lymphoscintigraphy revealed sentinel lymph node drainage to the contralateral axilla. This discovery subsequently altered surgical planning and her ultimate stage.     

Recommendations for sentinel lymph node processing in breast cancer

The status of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) has been shown to accurately reflect the presence or absence of metastases in the axilla in patients with breast cancer. This study was designed to determine the optimal protocol for SLN processing. A total of 173 SLNs from 96 breast cancer patients who had successful SLN localization and underwent completion axillary node dissection were identified. All SLNs were negative for metastases by initial routine histologic evaluation. The nodes were submitted in a total of 300 blocks. Each block was serially sectioned to produce 10 levels. Pan-cytokeratin stain was performed on levels 3 and 8. All other levels were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Metastases were identified in 22 SLNs from 19 patients by examining all 10 levels. The first two hematoxylin and eosin- or the first cytokeratin-stained levels were positive for metastases in 21 (95.5%) of the 22 positive SLNs. Two additional hematoxylin and eosin-stained and one cytokeratin-stained levels of each SLN correctly identified the status of the node in 94 (97.9%) of 96 patients. Therefore, we recommend that after an initial hematoxylin and eosin-stained section, two additional hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections and one cytokeratin-stained section should be evaluated.     

Comparative morbidity of axillary lymph node dissection and the sentinel lymph node technique: implications for patients with breast cancer

OBJECTIVE: To assess our long-term complications from complete axillary lymph node dissection (AXLND) in patients with breast cancer. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Complete AXLND as part of the surgical therapy for breast cancer has come under increased scrutiny due the use of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy technique to assess the status of the axillary nodes. As the enthusiasm for the SLN technique has increased, our impression has been that the perceived complication rate from AXLND has increased dramatically while the negative aspects of the SLN technique have been underemphasized. METHODS: Female patients seen in routine follow-up over a 1-year period were eligible for our retrospective study of the long-term complications from AXLND if they were a minimum of 1 year out from all primary therapy; ie, surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy. All patients had previously undergone either a modified radical mastectomy (MRM) or a segmental mastectomy with axillary dissection and postoperative radiation (SegAx/XRT). All patients had a Level I-III dissection. Objective measurements, including upper and lower arm circumferences and body mass index (BMI), were obtained, and a subjective evaluation from the patients was conducted. RESULTS: Ninety-four patients were eligible for our study; 44 had undergone MRM, and 50 had undergone SegAx/XRT. The average number of nodes removed was 25.6 (standard deviation, 8). Thirty-three percent of the patients had positive nodal disease, 95% of the patients had an upper arm circumference within 2 cm of the unaffected side, and 93.3% had a lower arm circumference within 2 cm of the unaffected side. Subjectively, 90.4% of the patients had either no or minimal arm swelling, and 96.8% of the patients had "good" or "excellent" overall arm function. The most common long-term symptom was numbness involving the upper, inner aspect of the affected arm (25.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that a complete AXLND can be performed with minimal long-term morbidity. The lower the morbidity of AXLND, the less acceptable are the unique complications of the SLN technique.     

Laparoscopic radioisotope-guided sentinel lymph node dissection in staging of prostate cancer

OBJECTIVES: To present our experience in laparoscopic sentinel lymph node (SLN) dissection in staging of clinically localized prostate cancer. METHODS: From November 2001 to January 2005 laparoscopic SLN dissection was performed in 140 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer preceding radical prostatectomy. Mean preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was 8.26 ng/ml (SD 9.46). At 24 h before surgery, 2 ml 99mTc-labeled human albumin (2 ml/200 MBq) colloid was injected into the prostate gland under transrectal ultrasound guidance. Prostatic SLNs were detected by preoperative planar scintigraphy and intraoperative scanning with a specially designed laparoscopic gamma probe. The detected nodes were dissected and evaluated on frozen section. In case of positive frozen section extended lymph node dissection was performed. RESULTS: SLN was identified on both or one pelvic sidewall in 96 (68.1%) and 36 (25.7%) of the patients, respectively. SLNs were undetectable in 8 (5.7%) cases. In 48.2% (135 of 280) of the pelvic sidewalls, SLNs were exclusively outside the obturator fossa. Final histopathologic examination revealed SLN metastases in 19 (13.5%) patients; 71.4% (20 of 28) of the detected metastases were outside the current standard of lymph node dissection limited to the obturator fossa. Mean tumor size was 2.3 mm (SD 1.7). CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm the reliability of laparoscopic SLN dissection in staging of prostate cancer. Significant numbers of detected metastases were outside of the routinely sampled obturator fossa. Small metastasis size makes them undetectable by currently available preoperative imaging modalities.