Breast cancer in elderly patients : the sentinel node biopsy

Background The sentinel node biopsy in elderly women remains a controversial issue. Recent studies concluded that conservative breast surgery such as as the sentinel node technique can be performed in elderly patients [1-3]. The technique is safe and without additional risk compared with the young, but there is a tendency to perform no or less extensive axillary surgery [4,5]. Some authors argue that in elderly patients with early breast cancer and clinically negative axillary lymph nodes, axillary dissection such as the sentinel node biopsy and postoperative radiotherapy may not be necessary because of reduced life expectancy [6] and the ability to predict which elderly patients may have low probability of lymph node metastasis may be spared the morbidity of lymph node evaluation [7]. The sentinel node biopsy in elderly patients is feasible and mortality data between older and younger do not show major differences when adjusted for associated pathologies [2]. The stage of disease and comorbidities must be considered for treatment of cancer in elderly patients. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of sentinel node biopsy in elderly patients.