Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Breast Cancer-Should It Be the Standard of Care in India?

Excerpt

Breast cancer is fast emerging as the most common cancer amongst women in India and most cancers are locally advanced at presentation. The delayed presentation of breast cancers has generally been blamed on the poor socio-economic standards and lower literacy rates in India. There is however another facet to it that is related to the awareness of health providers .In a study conducted by the author, the delays in diagnosis of breast cancer were more often due to providers rather than patients [1]. Considering the shear burden of the disease,delayed presentation and lack of facilities in most centres, it is not likely that the minimally invasive approach to axilla i.e. Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB) becomes the standard of care in this part of the world in the near future [1‐4]. …