Under what circumstances can axillary lymph node dissection be waived in breast cancer patients?

Axillary lymph node dissection may be waived in breast cancer patients when:

  • Patients with anterior lymph node biopsies that do not show cancer metastases or only isolated tumor cells are found, as well as some patients with micrometastases;
  • Confirmed diagnosis of carcinoma in situ of the breast;
  • Patients with hormone receptor-positive invasive carcinoma of the breast with tumors no larger than 5 cm, with less than or equal to 2 metastases in the anterior sentinel lymph nodes, and who have completed breast-conserving surgery followed by standard radiation therapy.