ObjectiveTo investigate the metastatic status and risk factors of axillary non-sentinel lymph node (NSLN) in breast cancer patients with 1–2 positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLN), and to provide theoretical basis for exemption of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in these patients. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 54 patients diagnosed with breast cancer who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and confirmed to have 1–2 positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLNS) and received ALND in the Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery of Tongling People’s Hospital from January 2018 to April 2023. The patients were divided into NSLN metastatic group (17 cases) and NSLN non-metastatic group (37 cases) according to whether there was metastasis. Chi-square test was used to compare the basic information and clinicpathological features of the two groups. The independent risk factors for axillary NSLN metastasis were screened out by multivariate binary logistic regression model. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of independent risk factors combined with axillary NSLN metastasis. Results There were 54 cases with 1–2 metastasis of SLN, 17 cases with axillary NSLN metastasis (31.5%). The incidence of axillary NSLN metastasis in patients with tumor at T1 stage (maximum diameter ≤2 cm) was only 14.3% (4/28), however, the metastatic rate of axillary NSLN in patients with tumor in T2–T3 stage (maximum diameter >2 cm) was as high as 50.0% (13/26). The axillary NSLN metastasis rate was only 21.2% (7/33) with 1 SLN metastasis, while the axillary NSLN metastasis rate was 47.6% (10/21) with 2 SLN metastasis. Univariate analysis showed that T stage (tumor diameter >2 cm), 2 SLN metastases, number of SLN >5 and tumor with vascular embolus were more likely to develop axillary NSLN metastases (P<0.05). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that T stage (tumor diameter >2 cm) and 2 SLN metastases were independent risk factors for axillary NSLN metastasis in breast cancer patients, the area under ROC curve of combined prediction of axillary NSLN metastasis by the two was 0.747, 95%CI was (0.657, 0.917), sensitivity was 0.765 and specificity was 0.649. Conclusions The combination of tumor T stage and the number of SLN metastases can better predict axillary NSLN metastasis in breast cancer patients. ALND is recommended for breast cancer patients with T stage (tumor diameter >2 cm) and 2 SLN metastases to reduce the risk of residual axillary NSLN metastasis.
ObjectiveTo explore the value of fluorescence tracer technique in sentinel lymph node (SLN) orientation of cN0 papillary thyroid cancer. MethodsThe total clinical data of 40 cT1-3N0M0 thyroid cancer patients admitted from January 2015 to January 2016 in our hospital were collected, and the SLN with indocyanine green (ICG) as fluorescent trace agent were observed and detected, and the effect of ICG detecting SLN and the guide role of SLNB on the dissection of the central area of neck lymph nodes by intraoperative frozen biopsy pathology and postoperative paraffin pathology were analyzed. ResultsA total of 40 thyroid cancer patients were treated by SLNB and then conducted by the dissection of the central area of neck lymph nodes, and 37 cases detected SLN, so the detection rate was 92.5% (37/40). And a total of 98 SLNs were detected, 1-5 for each case, average of 2.65/case. Intraoperative frozen pathological detected 28 cases of patients with metastases in SLN, and 9 patients without metastasis, including 1 case with postoperative pathology detecting micrometastasis in SLN and other 8 cases without metastasis in the central area of neck lymph nodes. Three cases who were not detected the SLN showed no metastases in final postoperative paraffin pathology. The SLNB of ICG fluorescent tracer was with a sensitivity of 96.6% (28/29), false-negative rate of 3.45% (1/29). ConclusionThe fluorescent tracer technique can guide the dissection of the central of neck lymph node of cN0 thyroid cancer patients accurately with a high detection rate and advantages of high sensitivity in detecting the SLN of thyroid cancer.
ObjectiveTo review the recent studies about sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer.MethodsThe literatures in recent years on the history, concept, technique and clinical application of sentinel lymph node biopsy were reviewed and summarized.ResultsThere was no unified method for sentinel lymph node biopsy. There was a wide range of detection rate and falsenegative rate.ConclusionProspective multicenter random clinical trials will help to evaluate the clinical application of sentinel lymph node biopsy.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of sentinel lymph node biopsy following total mastectomy on immunologic function and prognosis for patients with early breast cancer. MethodsTwo hundred and eleven patients with early breast cancer were entered in this study. In all these cases, the results of sentinel lymph node biopsy were negative. These patients were randomly divided into control group and research group. In 86 cases of control group, the sentinel lymph node biopsy and axillary lymph node dissection following total mastectomy was performed. In 125 cases of research group, the sentinel lymph node biopsy following total mastectomy was performed. The injury of shoulder joint function was analyzed in one year after surgery. The changes of T cell subsets and IL-2 level were detected in the patients respectively on the first day before operation, the second week after operation, and the fourth week after operation. Postoperative fatality rate and postoperative recurrence rate were also observed in two groups. Results①The points of shoulder joint function in the control group and the research group were 72.7±6.5 and 93.5±8.2 respectively, there was an obvious difference (P < 0.05).②The injury degree of shoulder joint function in the research group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.01).③Compared with the control group, the changes of T cell subsets and the IL-2 level had no significant differences in the research group on day 1 before operation and on week 2 after operation (P > 0.05). On the fourth week after surgery, the CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and IL-2 level in the research group were obviously higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). However, the percentage of CD8+ T cell in the research group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05).④There were no significant differences for postoperative fatality rate and postoperative recurrence rate between two groups (P > 0.05). ConclusionsSentinel lymph node biopsy for patients with early breast cancer is safe and reliable. With respect to conventional axillary lymph node dissection, it could improve immune function and quality of life after surgery in patients with early breast cancer.
ObjectiveTo explore the factors associated with non-sentinel lymph node (NSLN) metastasis in early breast cancer patients with 1-2 positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLN), seeking the basis for exempting some SLN-positive patients from axillary lymph node dissection. MethodsA total of 299 early breast cancer patients who were diagnosed with positive sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy and underwent axillary lymph node dissection at the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from January 2019 to April 2023 were selected. Univariate analysis was performed on the clinical and pathological data of patients, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors related to axillary non-sentinel lymph node (NSLN) metastasis of patients with SLN positive in early breast cancer. GraphPad Prim 9.0 was used to draw receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the area under curve (AUC) of ROC was calculated to quantify the predictive value of risk factors. ResultsAmong the 299 breast cancer patients with 1-2 SLN positive, 101 cases (33.78%) were NSLN positive and 198 cases (66.22%) were NSLN negative. Univariate analysis showed that the number of positive SLN, clinical T staging and lymphovascular invasion were related to the metastasis of NSLN (P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that having 2 positive SLN [OR=3.601, 95%CI (2.005, 6.470), P<0.001], clinical T2 staging [OR=4.681, 95%CI (2.633, 8.323), P<0.001], and presence lymphovascular invasion [OR=3.781, 95%CI (2.124, 6.730), P<0.001] were risk factors affecting axillary NSLN metastasis. The AUCs of the three risk factors were 0.623 3, 0.702 7 and 0.682 5, respectively, and the AUCs all were greater than 0.6, suggesting that the three risk factors had good predictive ability for NSLN metastasis. ConclusionThe number of positive SLN, clinical T staging, and lymphovascular invasion are related factors affecting NSLN metastasis in early breast cancer patients with positive SLN, and these factors have guiding significance for whether to exempt axillary lymph node dissection.
ObjectiveTo explore the feasibility and clinical efficacy of laparoscopic sentinel lymph node biopsy combined with endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD) for patients with early gastric cancer(EGC). MethodsThe clinical data of 26 cases who received ESD combined with laparoscopic sentinel lymph node biopsy for EGC between March 2009 to August 2013 in Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University were analyzed retrospectively. These patients first underwent laparoscopic sentinel lymph node(SLN) biopsy. If frozen sectioning examination suggested there was lymph node metastasis, laparoscopic D2 radical gastrectomy would be operated. However, the ESD would be operated if the frozen sectioning examination was negative. ResultsThe total numbers of SLN were 95, and mean numbers of SLN were 3.7±1.4(range from 1 to 6). Two patients with positive SLN underwent laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy and 24 patients with negative SLN underwent ESD. The disease free survival(DFS) and local recurrence rate after ESD for EGC was 91.7%(22/24) and 4.2%(1/24), respectively. And the total DFS for all patients was 96.2% (25/26). ConclusionESD for EGC is a safe and feasible procedure, combined with laparoscopic sentinel lymph node biopsy conforms more to the concept of principle of radical operation.
ObjectiveTo summarize the current status and advances of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) technique in breast cancer. MethodsThe pertinent domestic and overseas literatures were reviewed and the localization, harvest, status assessment, indications, and complications of SLNB were analyzed. ResultsSLNB could accurately locate and pick out sentinel lymph node (SLN) in breast cancer. The development on imaging examination and pathological techniques promoted the assessment of SLN, and the indications of SLNB were expanding. The complication rate of SLNB was low and the technique could accurately predict axillary lymph node staging and direct selective axillary lymph node dissection. ConclusionsSLNB has been an important method of surgical therapy in breast cancer, but the operation process needs to be further standardized to decrease the false negative rate. Continuative attentions shall be paid to the problems such as the false positive and controversial indications.
ObjectiveTo explore the risk factors affecting sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis in patients with early-stage (N0) breast cancer and establish a predictive model for SLN metastasis, so as to assist in decision-making of axillary surgery in clinical practice. MethodsThe unilateral early-stage breast cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment and SLN biopsy at the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from September 2020 to December 2023 were selected as the study subjects. The univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were adopted to analyze the relevant risk factors of SLN metastasis, then a predictive model evaluating the risk of SLN metastasis was constructed. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess the distinguishing ability of risk factors for SLN metastasis. ResultsA total of 351 patients with early-stage breast cancer patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled, 136 of whom with SLN metastasis, the SLN metastasis rate was 38.7%. The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the maximum tumor diameter >2.5 cm, estrogen receptor (ER) positive, Ki-67 >20%, and vascular invasion were the risk factors affecting SLN metastasis [maximum tumor diameter: OR(95%CI)=1.897(1.186, 3.034), P=0.008; ER positive: OR(95%CI)=2.721(1.491, 4.967), P=0.001; Ki-67 >20%: OR(95%CI)=1.825(1.125, 2.960), P=0.015; vascular invasion: OR(95%CI)=2.858(1.641, 4.976), P<0.001]. The AUC for the SLN metastasis by these four factors was 0.693(0.637, 0.749), with a sensitivity and specificity of 70.59% and 57.21%, respectively. ConclusionsThe results from this study suggest that SLN biopsy is recommended to guide postoperative adjuvant treatment strategies for cN0 early-stage breast cancer patients with a maximum tumor diameter >2.5 cm, ER positivity, Ki-67>20%, and vascular invasion. However, the predictive model constructed based on these four factors in this study has a general ability to distinguish the occurrence of SLN metastasis, then the reasons can be further analyzed in the future.
Objective To explore the clinical value of only using blue dye as tracer in the sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) of breast cancer. Methods SLNB was performed with the guidance of the combination of blue dye and isotope in all patients enrolled. SLNB data of blue dye only, and the combination method was recorded respectively for analyses. Results Three hundred and eight patients were enrolled in this prospective study. Significant differences were found in the identification rate (IDR, 93.5% vs. 99.4%, P=0.000), the false negative rate (FNR, 14.8% vs. 3.3%, P=0.007), the accuracy rate (AR, 89.6% vs. 97.8%, P=0.006), and the negative predictive value (NPV, 74.0% vs. 93.3%, P=0.012) between the blue dye alone and the combination method. The IDR and the FNR of the two methods were not significantly associated with the patient age, tumor size and location, histopathological type, type of biopsy and breast surgery, or ER, PR, and HER-2 status (all Pgt;0.05). The FNR of blue dye alone was significantly associated with clinically suspicious turgescence of axillary lymph nodes (P=0.042) and decreased followed by the increased number of sentinel lymph nodes obtained (P=0.000). Conclusions Compared with the combination method, SLNB guided with blue dye alone had significantly poorer IDR, AR, and NPV, and higher FNR. It is recommended that the combination of dye and isotope should be adopted for the guidance of SLNB in clinical practice rather than the use of blue dye alone.