Does failed mapping predict sentinel lymph node metastasis in cN0 breast cancer?

The clinical significance of nonvisualized sentinel lymph nodes (non-vSLNs) is unknown. The authors sought to determine the incidence of non-vSLNs on lymphoscintigraphy, the identification rate during surgery, factors associated with non-vSLNs and related axillary management.  A total of 30,508 consecutive SLN procedures performed at a single institution from 2000 to 2017 were retrospectively studied.