ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION:

Axillary lymph node (ALN) metastasis determines the stage and treatment of breast carcinoma. Development in the sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy techniques decreased axillary dissection (AD). The factors increase the nonsentinel lymph node (NSLN) metastasis also decrease AD in patients with SLN metastases. This study designed to fi nd the factors increasing susceptibility of NSLN metastasis.

METHODS:

43 patient undergone SLN biopsy and AD in January 2003 and March 2007 evaluated retrospectively. SLN metastases evaluated with isosulphan blue dye subdermal periaerolar technique. Twenty patients were undergone AD due to SLN metastasis. We recorded the size of tumor, multicentiricity- focality, histological-nuclear grade, receptor status of estrogen, progesterone, c erb b2, lymphovascular invasion, in situ component, histopathologically skin invasion, metastasis to other lymph nodes, size and number of SLN, micrometastasis and extracapsuler invasion. We used Fisher’s exact test on computer.

RESULTS:

Seventeen (45%) patients had not SLN metastases, 20 (55%) patients had. Lymphovasculer invasion is leading cause of SLN metastasis (p=0.018). Eleven (55%) patients with SLN metastasis had NSLN metastases. Statistically signifi cant causes of NSLN metastases were not found.

DISCUSSION:

Lymphovasculer invasion leads the SLN metastases. Near the half of the patients with SLN metastasis undergone AD unnecessarily.