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In determining the need for regional nodal irradiation following breast cancer surgery, do you consider positive intramammary lymph nodes the same as positive axillary lymph nodes?

Is your decision influenced by factors such as the location of the intramammary nodes and/or the mapping of sentinel nodes to the axilla?
1 Answer
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Radiation Oncology · Varian Medical Systems/Allegheny health network
Answered on

The older data with axillary nodal dissection suggest that patients with intramammary nodes have a higher risk of axillary nodal disease. Nowadays most patients get a SNLN bx performed. The presumption is that in these patients, the intramammary node is the first echelon node and the sentinel axilla...

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