Sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis does not adversely affect survival in early-stage breast cancer, according to results of a large multicenter cohort study. Women with conservatively treated early breast cancer had a five-year overall survival of 95% to 96% regardless of whether they had SLN metastasis by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Bone marrow metastases, though uncommon, doubled the mortality hazard, but the effect no longer remained statistically significant in a multivariable analysis, investigators reported in the July 27 issue of JAMA. “Data from [the study] show that occult metastases detected by immunohistochemistry are not associated with survival differences in patients with the earliest stages of breast cancer,” Armando Giuliano, MD, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and co-authors wrote.
