Questions of axillary region surgery in breast cancer patients after systemic neoadjuvant therapy

Abstract

As a consequence of the advances in systemic neoadjuvant therapy of breast cancer is the de-escalation of surgical treatment. The study of a limited number of axillary lymph nodes after neoadjuvant therapy and refusal of lymphadenectomy in the absence of metastatic lesions is becoming more common. The published studies have proven the informativeness and safety of standard techniques of sentinel lymph node biopsy after neoadjuvant treatment for cN0 patients. For group cN1 and regression of metastases after neoadjuvant treatment, standard sentinel lymph node biopsy techniques have failed. The use of combined methods of double detection and an increase in the number of examined lymph nodes to 3 and more increased the detection rate of sentinel node biopsy after neoadjuvant therapy and reduced false-negative rate. Long-term results, questions of methodology lymph nodes evaluation, radiation therapy in this group of patients require further investigation.

Keywords

• neoadjuvant therapy
• breast cancer
• sentinel lymph node biopsy
• targeted lymph node dissection
• axillary lymph node dissection