Axillary nodal status is the most important prognostic factor for patients with breast cancer. Clinical assessment and imaging modalities are not always reliable. Surgical removal and histopathological examination of axillary lymph nodes remain essential methods of staging the axilla and planning breast cancer therapy (Chu et al, 2010; Perry, 2001) But whether axillary lymph node dissection imp...

OBJECTIVE A comprehensive literature search for more recent studies pertaining to sentinel lymph node mapping in the surveillance of cervical cancer to assess if sentinel lymph node mapping has sensitivity and specificity for evaluation of the disease; assessment of posttreatment response and disease recurrence in cervical cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS The literature review has been construct...

BACKGROUND Sentinel lymph node biopsy has been established as the preferred method for staging early breast cancer. A prior history of mastectomy is felt to be a contraindication. CASE PRESENTATION A patient with recurrent breast cancer in her skin flap was discovered to have positive axillary sentinel nodes by sentinel lymph node biopsy five years after mastectomy for ductal carcinoma in sit...

The immune suppression of sentinel lymph node (SN) is directly influenced by primary tumors. It has been reported that the T-helper type 1 (Th1) to T-helper type 2 (Th2) ratio or T-cytotoxic type 1 (Tc1) to T-cytotoxic type 2 (Tc2) ratio of lymph node lymphocytes could be used to evaluate direct immunological circumstances. We attempted to evaluate the Th1 to Th2 cell and Tc1 to Tc2 cell balanc...

INTRODUCTION The level of lymph node involvement is the most important factor in staging colorectal cancer without metastasis. Sentinel lymph node mapping identifies the node(s) that most accurately reflect the lymph node status of patients, and intensive techniques that improve staging can be focused on these nodes. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of ex vivo sentinel lymph nod...

Purpose: The treatment of vulvar cancer remains surgical; however, as surgical treatment has evolved the surgical morbidity has decreased with the use of minimally invasive technology. Sentinel lymph node biopsy, which has been validated in breast cancer and melanoma, has been similarly investigated in vulvar cancer. This review summarizes the current evidence supporting sentinel lymph node bio...

To determine the performance of intraoperative one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) assay in detecting sentinel lymph node metastases compared to postoperative histology taking into account breast cancer molecular classification and to evaluate whether the level of cytokeratin 19 mRNA copy number may be useful in predicting the likelihood of a positive axillary lymph node dissection. OSNA...

ii Faculty The objective of this course is to teach the indications, techniques, and theoretical concepts of lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy for breast cancer and melanoma. After participating in this course, surgeons should be able to begin to perform and evaluate lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy with blue dye, radio-isotope, or a combination of both. The histopathologic m...

The procedure of sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with malignant cutaneous melanoma has evolved from the notion that the tumor drains in a logical way through the lymphatic system, from the first to subsequent levels. As a consequence, the first lymph node encountered (the sentinel node) will most likely be the first affected by metastasis; therefore, a negative sentinel node makes it hig...

BACKGROUND To report our experience with sentinel lymph node biopsy for staging patients with conjunctival melanoma. METHODS A prospective review of patients with conjunctival melanoma who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy at St Bartholomew's Hospital from May 2008 to May 2012. The selection criterion for sentinel node biopsy depended on the tumour thickness (≥2 mm) and location of the con...