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Sentinel node biopsy has become standard practice in breast cancer surgery. When the sentinel node (the first node to receive drainage from the tumor) is negative for cancer cells, axillary lymph node dissection is omitted. When the node is positive, patients generally undergo axillary dissection under the assumption that it leads to better clinical outcomes. However, axillary dissection — compared with sentinel node dissection alone — raises risks for wound infection, seroma, paresthesias, and lymphedema.
Researchers now have examined axillary dissection in a trial that included nearly 900 patients with localized breast cancer, no palpable adenopathy, no evident metastases, and a cancerous sentinel node. All patients underwent lumpectomy; a…