Sentinel Lymph node in Breast Cancer: A Five years of experience of the Pregnancy and Gynecology Center of the National Institute of Oncology, Rabat

Mbongo JA; Saissi Anas; WL Tatsipie Meukem; El Yacir Alami; Hanchi Z; Tijami F; Hachi H.

Volume : VIII, Issue : VII, July - 2019

Sentinel Lymph node in Breast Cancer: A Five years of experience of the Pregnancy and Gynecology Center of the National Institute of Oncology, Rabat

Mbongo Ja, Saissi Anas, Wl Tatsipie Meukem, El Yacir Alami, Hanchi Z, Tijami F, Hachi H.

Abstract :

Objective: To evatuate/rewiew the sentinel lymph node practice in the service Patients and methods: it is a descriptive study with retrospective data collection, using exclusively the isotopic method. Patients with tumors less than 5 cm in size, no palpable axillary lymph node, or prior axillary surgery were included. Classified T3, T4 tumors, multifocal and / or multicentric or after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were excluded. Results: Forty patients met the inclusion criteria. Breast–conserving surgery was the practice mostly associated with sentinel lymph node technique: 35/40 (86%) of the cases. On histological analysis of the tumor, invasive ductal carcinoma prevailed with 36/40, (90%) of cases. The sentinel lymph node was positive to tumor cells in 14/40 patients, ie (35% of cases), the isolated tumor cells were not found on any patient, the micro metastases were found for 1case ( 7.1%); on the other hand, macro metastases were diagnosed in 13 patients, ie 92.9% of patients with positive lymph nodes. In patients with positive sentinel lymph node, 4 additional axillary lymph node dissections were performed including 2 patients with 3 positive sentinel lymph nodes and the 2 others with 2 axillary positive node with capsular intrusion. In 10 cases the axillary lymphadenectomy was not performed, among which a case of micro metastasis. Six cases of axillary negative lymph node benefited from complementary axillary lymph node dissection. In all of these cases, there was no lymph node involvement. Conclusion: The Sentinel lymph node technique practice at the Breast Surgery Service of the Rabat National Institute of Oncology is a reality although many are still to be done. The Indications need to be enlarged and the techniques to be diversified.