Radiologic Mapping for Targeted Axillary Dissection: Needle Biopsy to Excision.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to describe the feasibility and safety of a multidisciplinary approach to imaging-guided axillary staging that facilitates personalized, less invasive surgical management of the axilla through targeted axillary dissection in patients with biopsy-proven nodal metastasis undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION: Axillary nodal status, critical in breast cancer staging, affects prognosis and treatment. As the paradigm shifts toward minimally invasive therapy, a clip marker is placed in the biopsied metastatic node for patients with N1-N2 disease undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy to facilitate targeted axillary dissection of the clipped node. This node is typically localized with a radioactive seed at sentinel lymph node dissection to determine whether further axillary surgery is warranted.