Current concepts of sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer: a literature review

Objective: to systematically analyze the data available in the modern literature on sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer in various clinical situations. 
Material and Methods. The search was conducted in the Web of science, PubMed, scopus, Google scholar databases. A total of 213 sources devoted to sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer were analyzed, of which 48 were included in the review. 
Results. Sentinel lymph node biopsy has been established as a standard procedure in early stages of breast cancer, demonstrating efficacy and safety in small tumors, intact lymph nodes and micrometastases. Currently, there is a clear trend toward expanding sentinel lymph node biopsy indications into more complex cases, including changes in lymph node status after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, multicentric cancer, and recurrent breast cancer. Studies are underway to evaluate the safety of sentinel lymph node biopsy during pregnancy, opening up new perspectives for the treatment of this vulnerable group of patients. Expanding the indications for sentinel lymph node biopsy will help avoid radical lymphadenectomy and its associated complications, such as postmastectomy syndrome. this, in turn, will significantly improve the quality of life of cancer patients by reducing postoperative morbidity and accelerating rehabilitation. 
Conclusion. Further study and implementation of expanded indications for sentinel lymph node biopsy is a promising direction in modern oncology aimed at optimizing treatment and maintaining the quality of life of patients.

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