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Minimal Residual Disease Assessment in Sentinel Nodes of Breast and Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Plea for Standardization

From the Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Correspondence: Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Cornelis J. H. Van de Velde, MD, PhD, FRCS, FRCPS, Department of Surgery K6-R, Leiden University Medical Center, P. O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands; Fax: 31-71-5266750; E-mail: c.j.h.van_de_velde{at}lumc.nl

ABSTRACT

Lymph node dissection plays an important role in staging and treatment of solid cancers. Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) has been introduced to minimize the extent of surgery and to enable assessment of minimal residual disease (MRD) without compromising accurate staging or survival. This review addresses the variation in technical aspects and outcome of SNB and MRD assessment in patients with breast and gastrointestinal cancer. Quality control leading to standardization of SNB and pathological examination will enable reliable comparison of studies, which is necessary for consensus of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Key Words: Breast cancer • Colorectal cancer • Gastric cancer • Micrometastases • Minimal residual disease • Sentinel node