False-negative Frozen Section of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in a Chinese Population with Breast Cancer.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of frozen section (FS) in diagnosis of sentinel lymph node metastasis and to analyze the predictive factors for false-negativity.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Patients with breast cancer and clinically negative axillary were recruited for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). All nodes were examined by intraoperative FS and underwent further paraffin sectioning.

RESULTS

A total of 1,272 patients underwent SLNB over an 8-year period, and 53 patients had false-negative FS. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that younger age, stellate mammographic pattern, and ER-positive status were statistically different when compared to the 53 members of the cohort who were truly negative on SLNB (control group). Eight patients were lost to clinical follow-up; the recurrence-free survival rate of the remaining 49 patients with false-negative SLNB did not differ from that of the 49-patient cohort (control group) (p=0.072), while these patients did experience poorer overall survival (p=0.035).

CONCLUSION

Younger age, stellate mammographic pattern and ER-positive status were independent predictors for false-negative FS on biopsy.