ObjectiveTo explore the influence of sentinel lymph node (SLN) status on the prognosis of elderly breast cancer patients ≥70 years old, and to screen patients who may be exempted from sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), so as to guide clinical individualized treatment for such patients. MethodsA retrospective analysis was made on 270 breast cancer patients aged ≥70 years old who underwent SLNB in the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from 2012 to 2021. The clinicopathological characteristics of the total cases were compared according to the status of SLN. Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the survival curve, and the influence of SLN status on the overall survival (OS) time, local recurrence (LR) and distant metastasis (DM) of patients were analyzed, and used log-rank to compare between groups. At the same time, the patients with hormone receptor (HR) positive were analyzed by subgroup. The differences between groups were compared by single factor χ2 test, and multivariate Cox regression model was used to analyze and determine the factors affecting OS, LR and DM of patients. ResultsThe age of 270 patients ranged from 70 to 95 years, with a median age of 74 years. One hundred and sixty-nine (62.6%) patients’ tumor were T2 stage. Invasive ductal carcinoma accounted for 83.0%, histological gradeⅡ accounted for 74.4%, estrogen receptor positive accounted for 78.1%, progesterone receptor positive accounted for 71.9%, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative accounted for 83.3%. The number of SLNs obtained by SLNB were 1-9, and the median was 3. SLN was negative in 202 cases (74.8%) and positive in 68 cases (25.2%). Thirty-five patients (13.0%) received axillary lymph node dissection. There was no significant difference in LR between the SLN positive group and the SLN negative group (P>0.05), but the SLN negative group had fewer occurrences of DM (P=0.001) and longer OS time (P=0.009) compared to the SLN positive group. The results of univariate and multivariate analysis suggest that the older the patient, the shorter the OS time and the greater the risk of DM. Analysis of HR positive subgroups showed that SLN status did not affect patient survival and prognosis, but age was still associated with poor OS time and DM. ConclusionsFor patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of breast in T1-T2 stage, HR positive, clinical axillary lymph nodes negative, and age ≥70 years old, SLNB may be exempted. According to the patient’s performance or tumor biological characteristics, patients who need systemic adjuvant chemotherapy may still consider SLNB.
ObjectiveTo summarize the research progress of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in the surgery of thyroid carcinoma in recent years. MethodsLiteratures about the recent studies on categories of SLNB and the neck lymph node dissection conducted by SLNB in the surgery of thyroid carcinoma were reviewed following the results searched from PubMed and CNKI data base. ResultsSLNB has a high detection rate and it is of great significance to detect the occult metastatic lymph nodes and guide the neck lymph node dissection during operation. ConclusionThe SLNB, with its high accuracy rate on the detection of occult metastatic lymph nodes, guides neck lymph node dissection during operation in order that it can maximize the benefits of patients.
ObjectiveTo summarize the current situation and progress of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in breast cancer. MethodsDomestic and foreign documents related SLNB in breast cancer in recent years were collected to summaize some problems about the definition, indications, biopsy techniques, improvement methods of the detection rate, the pathological examinations of sentinel lymph node (SLN), the types of metastasis, clinical applications of SLNB technology in breast cancer, and so on. ResultsThe indications of SLNB were expanding. The development of the tracer, imaging examination, and pathological detection technology contributed to the status assessment of SLN in breast cancer. The operation method of SLNB in breast cancer had no uniform standards yet. There were many arguments on whether SLNB can guide axillary lymph node dissection, and the detection rate and the false negative rate of it varied widely. ConclusionsSLNB technology has became an important method in the surgical therapy of breast cancer, but the operation still needs to be further standardized. The clinical application of SLNB also needs a lot of prospective multicenter randomized experiments for further demonstration.
Objective To identify the feasibility of the lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy (SLNB) in patients with breast cancer and to examine whether the characteristics of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) accurately predict the status of axillary lymph node.MethodsFrom March to October 2000, 32 patients with breast cancer were evaluated at the Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital. Lymphatic mapping was performed using Methlene Blue. A SLN was defined as any blue node. Thirtytwo patients, with breast cancer underwent a complete axillary lymph node resection (ALNR) following SLN biopsy. Subsequently, all SLNs and ALNs were examined by both Hamp;E staining as well as immunohistochemical staining for cytokeratin. ResultsLymphatic mapping was successful in identifying the SLN in 26/32(81.25%) cases of nodes at level Ⅰ. Of the 26 patients mapped successfully, 10 had metastasis to the SLNs.In 3 cases that SLNs were positive, but other axillary lymph nodes were negative. In 2 cases that the SLNs were negative, but other axillary lymph nodes were positive. The sensitivity of SLNB using Methlene Blue in this study was 77.78%(7/9), accuracy 80.77%(21/26), specificity 82.35%(14/17), and false negative rate 22.22%(2/9). ConclusionSLN can predict the status of the axillary lymph nodes reliably. However, the efficacy of SLNB in the setting of randomized, prospective trials must be tested first before abandoning axillary lymph node resection as the standard of care.
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 evaluate the quality of life after sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients with breast cancer. MethodsFrom January 2004 to December 2006, 591 patients with breast cancer who were suitable for SLNB were divided into SLNB group (n=339) and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) group (n=252). All patients didn’t have the upper extremity joints disease, the vascular nerve disease, and the cervical spondylosis previously. Results①In patients with SLNB, the circumferences of upper arm in one, two, and three weeks after operation were similar to those before operation (P=0.232, P=0.318, and P=0.415, respectively). While, in patients with ALND, the circumferences of upper arm in one or two weeks after operation were significantly bigger than those before operation (P=0.011, P=0.041, respectively), and the circumference in three weeks after operation was similar to that before operation (P=0.290). ②In patients with SLNB, the outreach angles of shoulder joint in one and two weeks after operation were significantly smaller than those before operation (P=0.031, P=0.043, respectively), and the angle in three weeks after operation was similar to that before operation (P=0.196). However, in patients with ALND, the angles in one, two or three weeks after operation were significantly smaller than those before operation (all Plt;0.001). ③The retention time of drainage tube in patients with ALND who received breast conserving surgery or mastectomy was significantly longer than that in patients with SLNB who received mastectomy (all Plt;0.001). ④The infection rate and the sensory disjunction rate in patients with ALND were significantly higher than those in patients with SLNB (P=0.002, Plt;0.001, respectively). ConclusionsFor patients with lymph node negative breast cancer, SLNB could decrease postoperative complications, and improve the quality of life. It could also save money by reducing hospital stay.
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 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.