Feasibility of Performing Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB) after Mastectomy: A Case Report

Hanadi Bu-Ali, Eleftherios P. Mamouna

Aultman Cancer Center, Canton, OH and Akron General Medical Center, Akron, USA.
Aultman Cancer Center, Canton, OH and Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/jct.2010.12015                

Abstract

Introduction: Previous mastectomy remains a contraindication to SLNB as normal drainage patterns of the breast can be disturbed. Patients diagnosed with DCIS on core biopsy and later found to have microinvasive or invasive carci-noma at the time of mastectomy are deprived of the opportunity for SLNB and need to undergo axillary dissection. We explored the option and feasibility of performing SLNB in a 39-year-old female who underwent a simple mastectomy without axillary sampling for extensive DCIS and later found to have microinvasive ductal carcinoma on permanent pathology. Results: Lymphatic mapping using subdermal injection of 99mTc-labeled sulfur colloid and blue dye led to the identification of five SLNs. Histopathologic examination showed no metastasis. Conclusion: SNLB is feasible in this setting. However, before its use is routinely adopted, its feasibility and accuracy has to be demonstrated in larger num-bers of patients in whom a negative SLNB is followed by a completion axillary dissection.

Keywords

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy, Lymphatic Mapping, Mastectomy, Lymphoscintigraphy, Axillary Lymph Node Dissection

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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