Cure Today, March 10, 2011
Some variation of the feasibility and performance of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLN) is present in the clinical setting today. To introduce additional data a meta-analysis of 71 studies involving 25,240 patients was conducted to assess the performance characteristics of SLN biopsy.
Probably most concerning is the false negative and this is what the study found:
The false negative rate ranged from 0% to 34% and the weighted summary estimate was 12.5%. “The false negative rate associated with this procedure varied widely over different studies and institutions,” Dr. Lyman advised in an email.
After a negative SLN biopsy, the pooled estimate of disease recurrence in the same nodal basin was 3.4%, the investigators found. “The probability of nodal recurrence despite a negative SLN biopsy is low on average but also varies considerably across studies and increases with the length of follow-up,” Dr. Lyman said. “Greater rates of nodal recurrence in SLN biopsy-negative patients were also seen in younger patients, females, thicker tumors and those with ulceration.”
The study also concluded that the results were improved long term for those that had positive findings.
