The Use of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in BRCA12 Mutation Carriers Undergoing Prophylactic Mastectomy: A Retrospective Consecutive Case-Series Study

Abstract EN

Introduction.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in prophylactic mastectomy is controversial.

It avoids lymphadenectomy in occult carcinoma but is associated with increased morbidity.

Women with BRCA mutations have a higher incidence of occult carcinoma and our objective was to assess the clinical utility of sentinel lymph node biopsy when these women undergo prophylactic mastectomy.

Materials and Methods.

Seven-year retrospective consecutive case-series study of women, with a BRCA deleterious mutation, admitted to prophylactic mastectomy, at our center.

Breast MRI < 6 months before surgery was routine, unless contraindicated.

Results.

Fifty-seven patients (43% BRCA1; 57% BRCA2) underwent 80 prophylactic mastectomies.

72% of patients had had breast cancer treated before prophylactic mastectomy or synchronously to it.

The occult carcinoma incidence was 5%, and half of the cases were invasive.

SLNB was performed in 19% of the prophylactic mastectomies; none of these had tumor invasion.

Women with invasive carcinoma who had not undergone sentinel lymph node biopsy were followed closely with axillary ultrasound.

The median follow-up was 37 months, with no local recurrence; 1 patient died of primary tumor systemic relapse.

Conclusions.

Our data do not support this procedure for routine (in agreement with previous literature), in this high risk for occult carcinoma population.