Surgical complications associated with sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) plus axillary lymph node dissection compared with SLND alone in the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Trial Z0011.

Purpose: The American College of Surgeons Oncology Group trial Z0011 was a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial comparing overall survival between patients with positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) who did and did not undergo axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). The current study compares complications associated with SLN dissection (SLND) plus ALND, versus SLND alone.

Patients And Methods: From May 1999 to December 2004, 891 patients were randomly assigned to SLND + ALND (n = 445) or SLND alone (n = 446).