Sentinel node biopsy in early breast cancer. A review on recent and ongoing randomized trials

SLNB either alone or with axillary radiotherapy has been shown to be non-inferior to complete axillary dissection in terms of local recurrence, disease-free survival and overall survival in early breast cancer with minimally metastatic axilla. So far, results from ongoing trials are going to confirm the appropriate treatment in patients with limited axillary nodal involvement, the role and the timing of SLNB within the neoadjuvant setting and to define whether surgery can be avoided in the axilla in early stage breast cancer patients with negative preoperative imaging.