Study of the Identification Rate of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy after Partial Breast Resection

Sentinel lymph node biopsy using the dye method is generally performed for patients with breast cancer. However, identification of the sentinel lymph node in the mammary gland is occasionally difficult after breast partial resection, as lymph flow is changed under the influence of surgery. Sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients with breast cancer who underwent partial mastectomy without axillary lymph node dissection is grade C1 in the breast cancer clinical practice guideline ver.2 2013. We examined the identification rate of the sentinel lymph node for patients with breast cancer who underwent lumpectomy or partial mastectomy. Lumpectomy and partial mastectomy were performed in 4 and 3 patients, respectively. It was possible to identify the sentinel lymph node in 6 patients, and no metastasis of cancer cells was identified in any patient. In 1 patient who underwent partial mastectomy, it was impossible to identify the sentinel lymph node, and thus, Level Ⅰlymph node sampling was performed. However, the pathological diagnosis was no metastasis of cancer cells. This patient underwent partial mastectomy of the C area and a smaller volume of the mammary gland. Therefore, we consider that lymph flow changed under the influence of surgery. Sentinel lymph node biopsy using the dye method after partial breast resection is useful, but partial mastectomy of the C area makes it difficult to perform sentinel lymph node biopsy.