Cancer
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Comparative Study
Morbidity following sentinel lymph node biopsy versus axillary lymph node dissection for patients with breast carcinoma.
Axillary lymph node dissection for staging the axilla in breast carcinoma patients is associated with considerable morbidity, such as edema of the arm, pain, sensory disturbances, impairment of arm mobility, and shoulder stiffness. Sentinel lymph node biopsy electively removes the first lymph node, which gets the drainage from the tumor and should therefore be associated with nearly zero morbidity. ⋯ SN biopsy is associated with negligible morbidity compared with complete axillary lymph node dissection.
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The authors reviewed their institution's experience treating patients with mammographically detected ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast with breast-conserving therapy (BCT) to determine 10-year rates of local control and survival and to identify factors associated with local recurrence. ⋯ In patients with mammographically detected DCIS treated with BCT, adequate excision of all DCIS prior to RT can result in improved rates of local control. However, margin status may not adequately predict complete tumor extirpation. The volume of DCIS within 5 mm of the margin appears to be a more reliable surrogate for the adequacy of excision. In addition, young patient age and the absence of pathologic calcifications are independent risk factors for the development of local recurrence.