Appropriate Role for Sentinel Node Biopsy After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Few areas of modern medicine have captured the imagination more than the rapid and groundbreaking progress that has been observed in the treatment of patients with early-stage breast cancer (ESBC). It is perhaps because of such dramatic advances that some investigators, not unlike those who take pride in the progress against childhoodleukemia,havebeenaskingwhetherthesameorevenbetter resultscouldbeobtainedwithlessinvasiveapproaches. 1 Inadditionto breast-conserving surgery and the increasing role of more targeted and less toxic treatments, we now have less invasive surgical procedures for both achieving adequate margins and for the assessment of the axillary lymph node status. 2,3