Sentinel Node News and Research

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Breast cancer patients may avoid lymphedema with radiotherapy approach

Patients with breast cancer may be able to avoid lymphedema, which can occur after surgery to remove lymph nodes in the armpit (the axilla), by having radiotherapy instead.

25 Mar 2026

Skipping sentinel lymph node biopsy may be safe for some early-stage breast cancer patients

Skipping sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients with clinically node-negative, hormonal receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer did not compromise regional control or survival after a median five years of follow-up, according to results from the BOOG 2013-08 phase III clinical trial, presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 9-12, 2025.

11 Dec 2025

Early detection of breast cancer proven cost-effective for Canada's health care system

Cancer screening is key to saving patients' lives since an earlier stage diagnosis improves survival rates, decreases morbidity, and leads to less intensive treatments.

7 Jan 2025

Timing of melanoma metastasis: Critical implications for treatment

A new research perspective was published in Oncotarget's Volume 15 on June 13, 2024, entitled, "When does a melanoma metastasize? Implications for management."

18 Jun 2024

New study advocates for de-escalating breast cancer surgery in women aged 55 and older

Surgery involving sentinel lymph node biopsy for middle-aged women with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer may do more harm than good, according to a new study led by University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center researchers.

22 May 2024

Study shows safety of avoiding extensive lymph node removal in breast cancer patients

It is possible to leave most of the lymph nodes in the armpit, even if one or two of them have metastases larger than two millimeters? This is shown in a trial enrolling women from five countries, led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

4 Apr 2024

World-first treatment for oral cancer

Professor Mark McGurk speaks to News-Medical about his groundbreaking research that has led to the discovery of a world-first treatment for oral cancer.

25 Mar 2021

Study shows association between chemotherapy benefit and menopausal status in breast cancer patients

After a median follow-up of 5.1 years, among women with lymph node-positive early-stage breast cancer and a recurrence score of 25 or lower who received adjuvant endocrine therapy with or without chemotherapy, postmenopausal patients had no added benefit from chemotherapy, while premenopausal patients who received chemotherapy had improved invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) and an early indication of improved overall survival (OS), according to data from the SWOG S1007 RxPONDER clinical trial presented at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-11.

9 Dec 2020

Study offers the standard of surgical care for early-stage breast cancer

Among accredited U.S. cancer centers, hospitals serving primarily minority patients are as likely as other hospitals to offer the standard of surgical care for early-stage breast cancer, according to results presented at the virtual American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2020.

5 Oct 2020

Study shows effects of COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer screening

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries paused their breast cancer screening programmes. A new study,presented at the 12thEuropean Breast Cancer Conference, suggests that the disruption to screeningcould result in an increase in the proportion of women who die of breast cancer.

1 Oct 2020

Older women with DCIS gain no benefit from sentinel lymph node biopsy

Older women with a very early, non-invasive breast cancer known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) gain no long-term benefit from undergoing a sentinel lymph node biopsy to see if the cancer has spread, new research by the Yale School of Public Health has found.

24 Oct 2019

Combination of radiotherapy and anti-hormone treatment can prevent recurrence of hormone-driven breast cancer

Women with early, low risk, hormone-driven breast cancer are less likely to have a recurrence of their disease if they have radiotherapy after surgery, as well as anti-hormone treatment, according to results from a trial that has followed 869 women for ten years.

26 Apr 2019

Routine mouth cancer screens could save lives

The Head and Neck Cancer Foundation is calling all Brits to ask their dentists to conduct mouth cancer screens at their next appointment. This should be routinely included within the price of a dental check-up and should take no more than one minute.

2 Nov 2018

Lymph node removal may not be needed for all melanoma patients, study finds

Many patients with melanoma need a sentinel-lymph-node biopsy to determine if cancer cells have spread there, but a positive finding doesn't mean all the lymph nodes in the area must be removed, according to new international study.

17 Jul 2017

Study: Postponing lymph node biopsy after melanoma diagnosis does not affect long-term outcomes

Postponing lymph node biopsy more than 30 days after melanoma diagnosis doesn't adversely impact long-term clinical outcomes, according to new study findings published online as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website ahead of print publication.

28 Jun 2017

Leading cancer organizations publish new guidelines on postmastectomy radiotherapy

Three leading national cancer organizations today issued a joint clinical practice guideline update for physicians treating women with breast cancer who have undergone a mastectomy.

20 Sep 2016

Women who undergo axillary node surgery for breast cancer more likely to develop chronic pain

An analysis led by McMaster University researchers has found that women who undergo armpit lymph node surgery for breast cancer are much more likely to develop chronic pain.

11 Jul 2016

Liposuction to manage lymphedema? An interview with Professor John Boyages

Lymphedema is persistent swelling of the arm and/or hand following biopsy or treatment of the axillary lymph nodes for patients with breast cancer. It is due to excess accumulation of protein‐rich fluid in body tissues.

4 May 2016

Study raises new questions about the best way to treat early cancer cells that define DCIS

Treatment patterns for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) have shifted since the 1990s, with more U.S. women opting for lumpectomy in combination with radiation rather than single-breast mastectomy, according to a study lead by Duke Cancer Institute researchers.

12 Oct 2015

EORTC prospective registry targets patients with minimal sentinel node tumor burden in melanoma

Sentinel node biopsy is the standard staging procedure for melanoma patients, and sentinel node status is the most important prognostic factor for disease outcome in AJCC stage I/II disease. However, the therapeutic value of the sentinel node procedure followed by early completion lymph node dissection is still controversial.

15 Jun 2015