Objective: To study the consistency between the histological status of the sentinel lymph nodes(SLN) and the axillary lymph nodes

and the possibility of using sentinel lymph node biopsy(SLNB) to substitute routine axillary clearance. Methods: Sentinel lymph nodes in fifty patients with breast carcinoma were identified by using methylene blue. All blue-stained nodes were dissected & sent for hematoxylin and eosin(H&E) staining

immunohistochemical(IHC) and serial section(SS) examination separately and axillary lymph node dissection was found. All none sentinel lymph nodes(NSLN) were examined by H&E staining. Results: The SLN were identified in 45 of 50 paitents with a detection rate of 90%; 16 cases were found positive with routine examination.. When using SS and IHC

seven more SLN found positive in 29 cases of negative SLN. The positive SLN patients 、account for fifty-one percent of the total patients detected (23/45). So the accuracy ratesensitivity、positive value and negative value of SLNB were 91.1%

85.7%

100%

and 81%

respectively

and the false negative rate was 8.9%. Conclusion: SLNB could accurately predict the axillary status of the patients with breast carcinoma. It is possible for SLNB to substitute the routine axillary clearance.