Significance and management of micrometastases in patients with breast cancer

Abstract

The routine use of sentinel lymph node biopsy in the care of patients with invasive breast cancer has led to an increase in the identification of micrometastases in the axillary lymph nodes. Currently, the clinical relevance of this small-volume disease is debated. This article reviews the most current literature with respect to detection of micrometastases and isolated tumor cells in sentinel lymph nodes, the prognostic significance of these findings, and recommendations for locoregional and systemic treatment.

Keywords::

• breast cancer
• isolated tumor cell
• macrometastases
• micrometastases
• sentinel lymph node biopsy

Acknowledgement

The authors thank Kathryn Hale for editing this article.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Kelly Hunt is the Chair of the Breast Committee for the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.