Can intraoperative ultrasound replace the frozen section in the assessment of ex vivo sentinel lymph node biopsy in early breast cancer in countries with limited resources?

Background Accurate staging and proper management of axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) in breast cancer patients are important for treatment. Surgical management of the axilla has evolved greatly in the last 20 years. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), which was first investigated in the early 1990s, has replaced routine axillary lymph node dissection. This study evaluates the capability of using an ultrasound (US) as an alternative tool for the frozen section in the assessment of the ex vivo sentinel lymph node biopsy in countries with limited resources. Results The study is a prospective study that included 216 female patients with early breast cancer and negative axillary lymph nodes. All excised lymph nodes were examined by the intraoperative US and frozen section examinations. All the results were correlated with the final histopathological results. The number of negative nodes by US, frozen, and paraffin section examination was 58.30%, 69.40%, and 69.40%, respectively. The number of positive nodes by the US, frozen, and paraffin section examinations was 41.70%, 30.60%, and 30.60% respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of US in the detection of positive lymph nodes were 95.45%, 82%, 70%, 97.62%, and 86.11%, respectively, and the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of frozen examination in the detection of positive lymph nodes were 90.91%, 96%, 90.91%, 96%, and 94.44%, respectively. Conclusion Intraoperative US is a good negative test in the assessment of ex vivo SLNB, but it is not a good positive test, so it cannot replace the intraoperative frozen section in the assessment of SLNs.