The American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, led by Dr. Armando Giuliano, reviewed the test results, treatments, and survival rates of 5,210 women with early-stage breast cancer, including 5,119 who had sentinel lymph node (SLN) examinations and 3,413 who had bone marrow biopsies. From May 1999 to May 2003, there were no significant signs of increased survival based on these tests.
Among the women with SLN tests, 10.5 percent had evidence of micrometastasis. The study reports that 95.1 percent of the patients with micrometastasis in their lymph nodes survived after five years, while 95.7 percent of women without it survived.
As for women who had bone marrow biopsies, only 3 percent had micrometastasis. Of those women, 90.4 percent survived after five years, compared to 92.2 percent of women without micrometastasis.
The differences for both types of tests are considered insignificant. Results also show no apparent connection to the rate of cancer recurrence.
Despite these results, some medical experts insist on continuing with the use of these tests. They were originally implemented in order to identify breast cancer metastases that are not seen with routine pathological or clinical examinations. Although the incidence rate is too low, according to this study, these tests help identify high-risk women and present any increased chances of mortality. Therefore, eliminating these extra measures might seem daunting to some people.
On the other hand, Giuliano and his colleagues do not recommend any further use of these tests. Perhaps medical practices will eventually change as such routines prove to be less useful. In the end, eliminating these unnecessary processes will save breast cancer patients both time and a significant amount of cash.