Significance of Sentinel Lymph Node Micrometastases in Human Breast Cancer

Detection of micrometastatic carcinoma (N1mi) in the SLNs of invasive breast cancer patients is a major indicator of poorer survival compared with N0(i−) patients. Although survival of patients with an N0(i+) SLN does not statistically differ from that of N0(i−) patients, 9.3% of these patients had additional axillary nodal disease on axillary dissection, and N0(i+) patients had a decreased survival when axillary dissection was omitted.