Second axillary sentinel node biopsy for ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence.

Background: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is the standard procedure for axillary staging in patients with primary operable breast cancer and uninvolved axillary nodes. These patients increasingly have breast-conserving surgery (BCS), and 5 to 10 per cent develop ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence during follow-up. If axillary nodes remain clinically uninvolved after a previous negative SLNB the question remains whether second SLNB is a suitable option.

Methods: Between January 2000 and October 2006, 202 patients who had previously had BCS and a negative SLNB developed an ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence. Of these, 65 women with clinically negative axillary nodes were offered a second SLNB; 57 had received adjuvant radiotherapy after BCS.

Results: In 63 women, preoperative lymphoscintigraphy showed an axillary sentinel node (identification rate 97 per cent). In five, this was associated with extra-axillary migration. Sentinel node metastases were detected in seven women; in two this was the only metastasis. At a median follow-up of 45.9 months, no axillary recurrence had occurred in the women who had not had axillary dissection.

Conclusions: Second SLNB after previous BCS and negative SLNB plus adjuvant radiotherapy may be offered to selected women with ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence.