Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Performed for Axillary Accessory Breast Cancer—A Case Report—

Abstract

Local wide excision with axillary lymph node dissection is the standard procedure for axillary accessory breast cancer, though some literatures report that no axillary lymph node metastasis is found in >50% of all accessory breast cancer cases. To reduce the risk of upper limb and shoulder joint disorders and to maintain patients' quality of life, we consider rationale to perform sentinel lymph node biopsy instead of axillary lymph node dissection, if it is possible.

Here, we report a case of axillary accessory breast cancer in which local wide excision with sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed. We also investigated the indication of sentinel lymph node biopsy for accessory breast cancer and reviewed the literature.

A 74-year-old woman noticed a hard mass measuring 1.5 cm in diameter in her right axilla. A close examination led to the diagnosis of right axillary accessory breast cancer with no lymph node metastasis. We performed a local wide excision and sentinel lymph node biopsy, using two methods : radioisotope method and dyeing method. We confirmed the presence of sentinel lymph nodes in the right axilla with the radioisotope method and then performed surgery. Since no metastasis was confirmed in the sentinel lymph nodes, we could omit additional axillary lymph node dissection.