Annals of surgical oncology
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During recent years, an increasing number of patients with ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) and previous axillary surgery have undergone repeat sentinel lymph node biopsy (rSLNB). The influence of axillary nodal status on prognosis for IBTR patients remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the technical success rate, follow-up assessment, and prognostic value of rSLNB for patients with IBTR. ⋯ The prognostic impact of rSLN-positive versus rSLN-negative IBTR remains unclear. Further studies are needed to fill in the gap in the management of lymph nodes for patients with IBTR. However, based on the current evidence, rSLNB is feasible for 64% of patients, especially after previous SLNB. With a negative predictive value of 96.5%, rSLNB appears to be highly specific, with substantial advantages over ipsilateral ALND in IBTR.