Validation and update of a lymph node metastasis prediction model for breast cancer.

Purpose: This study aimed to validate and update a model for predicting the risk of axillary lymph node (ALN) metastasis for assisting clinical decision-making.

Methods: We included breast cancer patients diagnosed at six Dutch hospitals between 2011 and 2015 to validate the original model which includes six variables: clinical tumor size, tumor grade, estrogen receptor status, lymph node longest axis, cortical thickness and hilum status as detected by ultrasonography. Subsequently, we updated the original model using generalized linear model (GLM) tree analysis and by adjusting its intercept and slope.

Rationale for superficial injection techniques in lymphatic mapping in breast cancer patients.

One of the most avidly debated issues in lymphatic mapping is where the tracers are best deposited in patients with breast cancer. The four superficial approaches are easy to perform and have several other distinct advantages. They are based on the hypothesis that the entire breast parenchyma and the overlying skin drain to a common node in the axilla because of their common embryological origin.

What is a sentinel node and what is a false-negative sentinel node?

Morton's original definition of a sentinel node as the first lymph node to receive afferent lymphatic drainage from a primary tumor reflects the concept of stepwise spread of cancer through the lymphatic system. Several new definitions have been developed, based on surgical anatomy and on the technique that is used to find the node. The various definitions of a sentinel node are critically analyzed.

Lymphatic drainage patterns from the breast.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the lymphatic drainage patterns from the 5 "quadrants" of the breast.

Summary Background Data: Lymphatic mapping has provided techniques to visualize and harvest sentinel nodes in various locations and has generated renewed interest in nodes outside the axilla.

Methods: Between January 1997 and June 2002, 700 sentinel node procedures were performed in patients with cN0 breast cancer.

Should the hunt for internal mammary chain sentinel nodes begin? An evaluation of 150 breast cancer patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the visualization rate, identification rate, and clinical implications of biopsy of sentinel nodes in the internal mammary chain (IMC) in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: From January 1999 to December 2002, 691 sentinel node procedures were performed. Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy was performed after injection of (99m)Tc-labeled nanocolloid into the tumor (.

Review and evaluation of sentinel node procedures in 250 melanoma patients with a median follow-up of 6 years.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of sentinel node biopsy in cutaneous melanoma at our institute.

Methods: A total of 250 patients with cutaneous melanoma were studied prospectively. Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy was performed after injection of (99m)Tc-nanocolloid intradermally around the primary tumor or biopsy site (.

Intratumoral versus intraparenchymal injection technique for lymphoscintigraphy in breast cancer.

A 1.5-cm nonpalpable mass was detected in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast by screening mammography in a 55-year-old woman. The patient was scheduled for a sentinel node procedure, and lymphoscintigraphy was performed the day before surgery.

Metastatic patterns of extremity myxoid liposarcoma and their outcome.

Background And Objectives: Extremity myxoid liposarcomas have a unique extrapulmonary metastatic potential. We studied the metastatic pattern of extremity liposarcomas to determine what types of posttreatment imaging may be of value in the follow-up these patients.

Methods: Twenty-two patients from a total of 128 patients with primary extremity liposarcoma were treated at a tertiary care institution for subsequent metastases from January 1981 to January 2000.