Nomograms in therapeutic treatment of patients with breast cancer with metastatic changes in sentinel lymph node — causes, types of point systems and evaluation of their clinical value

Abstract

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy procedure in patients with non-advanced breast cancer made it possible to considerably
reduce the intensity of unfavourable after-eff ects connected with classical axillary lymphadenectomy. The
presence of metastatic changes in SLN coexists in some patients with metastases to non-SLN. Depending on the size
of the metastases detected in SLN, the above mentioned clinical situation may aff ect from 10–41% of cases. Therefore
in about 3/5ths of patients with diagnosed SLN metastasis, histopathologi cal examination of removed axillary lymph
nodes — within the radicalization of surgical treatment, will not reveal further changes. Presently available calculation
devices (nomograms) for measuring the likelihood of metastases in non-SLN of the armpit make it possible
to accurately determine the probability of their occurrence. They therefore simplify further therapeutic decisions.