The effect of prior breast biopsy method and concurrent definitive breast procedure on success and accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy

Abstract
It has been suggested that sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy for breast cancer may be less accurate after excisional biopsy of the primary tumor compared with core needle biopsy. Furthermore, some have suggested an improved ability to identify the SLN when total mastectomy is performed compared with lumpectomy. This analysis was performed to determine the impact of the type of breast biopsy (needle vs. excisional) or definitive surgical procedure (lumpectomy vs. mastectomy) on the accuracy of SLN biopsy.