This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Porter, G. A. Articles by Lovrics, P. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Porter, G. A. Articles by Lovrics, P. J. Related Collections Sentinel lymph node

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Breast Cancer: Canadian Practice Patterns

From the Department of Surgery (GAP, HM), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; and the Department of Surgery (PJL), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Correspondence: Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Geoffrey A. Porter, MD, Department of Surgery, 7-007 Victoria Building, QEII Health Sciences Center, 1278 Tower Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 2Y9, Canada; Fax: 902-473-6496; E-mail: geoff.porter{at}dal.ca

Background: Recent data suggest sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNBx) for invasive breast cancer (IBC) is widely performed in the United States, often outside of a clinical trial. We sought to describe SLNBx practice patterns in Canada, as well as criteria for abandonment of concurrent axillary lymph node dissection.

Methods: All active (n = 1172) general surgeons in Canada were sent a 31-item questionnaire.

Results: Of the 519 respondents who treated IBC, 138 (27%) performed SLNBx, whereas 378 (73%) did not. Surgeons who did not perform SLNBx most commonly cited a lack of adequate resources (64%). Of the 138 surgeons who performed SLNBx, 16% participated in one of the ongoing multicenter clinical trials. Of the 39 (28%) surgeons who abandoned routine concurrent axillary lymph node dissection, 20 (51%) performed <30 combined procedures before performing SLNBx alone. On multivariate analysis, surgical oncology training (P = .005), increasing proportion of practice devoted to breast disease (P < .001), and number of days per week in the operating room (P < .001) were associated with the use of SLNBx.

Conclusions: In contrast to the United States, SLNBx for IBC in Canada was not as common, and few surgeons participated in clinical trials. Fellowship-trained surgical oncologists and surgeons with a high exposure to breast disease seemed to be most involved in the development of SLNBx for IBC.

Key Words: Breast cancer • Sentinel node • Training • Survey

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Samphao, J. M. Eremin, M. El-Sheemy, and O. Eremin Management of the Axilla in Women With Breast Cancer: Current Clinical Practice and a New Selective Targeted Approach Ann. Surg. Oncol., May 1, 2008; 15(5): 1282 - 1296. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]