The promising approach of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for operable breast cancer has raised some questions about optimal local therapy for axilla. General concerns include accuracy and timing of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients who are clinical node-negative at presentation, and relative importance of pre- and post-NAC stage in predicting the locoregional recurrence (LRR). This article reviews some of the observations/suggestions made in the recently published article (in JAMA Oncology) on the management of axillary nodes in patients receiving NAC.
The status of the axillary lymph nodes is an important prognostic factor in breast cancer. Nodes guide local-regional and systemic treatment options and surgical removal of the axillary nodes facilitating staging and providing regional control in patients with axillary metastasis. In the past, axillary staging has been…
