Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Surgical Management of the Axilla in Breast Cancer: A Review of Current Data

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has become the standard of care for patients with locally advanced breast cancer, large tumors, certain biologic subtypes of breast cancer, or locally inoperable disease, and for patients who desire breast conservation. It has the advantage of downstaging the tumor, thereby allowing for conversion from mastectomy to breast conservation, and perhaps decreasing the need for axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). In the past, axillary management involved complete ALND for all patients presenting with breast cancer and involved nodes. With neoadjuvant chemotherapy, some patients exhibit a complete clinical axillary response, which may make them candidates for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNLB) rather than ALND, with its associated morbidities. While there is widespread use of SLNB in the treatment of breast cancer, its use following neoadjuvant chemotherapy remains widely debated.