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The role of sentinel node biopsy in male breast cancer

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Abstract

Background

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a standard procedure in women with breast cancer. The risk of morbidity related to axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is similar for men and women with breast cancer and SLNB could minimize this risk.

Methods

Between January 2004 and August 2013, 25 men with primary breast cancer were operated on at the Bács-Kiskun County Teaching Hospital. These were reviewed retrospectively. SLNB was performed following lymphoscintigraphy with intraoperative gamma probe detection and blue dye mapping.

Results

SLNB was successful in all 16 male patients (100 %), in whom it was attempted. The SLNs were negative in 4 cases (25 %) and were involved in 12. Intraoperative imprint cytology was positive in 9 of the 12 involved cases (75 %) and resulted immediate completion ALND. In 7 patients, the intraoperative imprint cytology was negative, with 3 false-negative results that resulted in delayed completion ALND. After a median follow-up of 48 months, there was only one axillary recurrence after ALND and none in the SLNB group.

Conclusions

SLNB is successful and accurate in male breast cancer patients too. Although compared to women a larger proportion of men have positive nodes, for men with negative nodes, ALND-related morbidity may be reduced by SLNB. We recommend SLNB in male patients with breast cancer and clinically negative axilla.

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Conflict of interest

None declared.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Bács-Kiskun County Teaching Hospital, Nyíri út 38, Kecskemet, 6000, Hungary

    Róbert Maráz, Gábor Boross, József Pap-Szekeres & László Markó

  2. Department of Oncology, Bács-Kiskun County Teaching Hospital, Nyíri út 38, Kecskemet, 6000, Hungary

    Róbert Maráz

  3. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Bács-Kiskun County Teaching Hospital, Nyíri út 38, Kecskemet, 6000, Hungary

    Mária Rajtár

  4. Department of Breast Diagnostics, Mamma Zrt at the Bács-Kiskun County Teaching Hospital, Nyíri út 38, Kecskemet, 6000, Hungary

    Éva Ambrózay

  5. Department of Pathology, Bács-Kiskun County Teaching Hospital, Nyíri út 38, Kecskemet, 6000, Hungary

    Rita Bori & Gábor Cserni

  6. Department of Pathology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

    Gábor Cserni

Authors
  1. Róbert Maráz
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  2. Gábor Boross
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  3. József Pap-Szekeres
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  4. László Markó
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  7. Rita Bori
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  8. Gábor Cserni
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Correspondence to Róbert Maráz.

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Maráz, R., Boross, G., Pap-Szekeres, J. et al. The role of sentinel node biopsy in male breast cancer. Breast Cancer 23, 85–91 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12282-014-0535-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12282-014-0535-1

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