ASBrS 2017: Practice Patterns in Use of SLND After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
Many surgeons have changed practice patterns regarding the use of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in clinically node-positive patients who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy based on the publication of clinical trials reporting its accuracy in staging the axilla in these patients. This finding, recently presented at the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) Annual Meeting (Abstract 257239) in Las Vegas, Nevada, is based on an online survey of 642 ASBrS members. Caudle et al, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, concluded that some surgeons seemed to be reluctant to incorporate SLND into practice because of concerns over the false-negative rate and lack of outcome data.
The practice settings of the respondents were private or community practice focusing on breast cancer (35%), private or community general practice (30%), academic breast practice (23%), and academic general practice (11%). Before the publication of the Z1071, SENTINA, and SN-FNAC trials, 45% of the respondents offered SLND to patients, compared with 85% after publication of the trials.
