Results
CNS identified 1456 SLNs in 325 patients. The overall SLN DR was
91.29%. A significantly higher DR was found for patients with tumours
<20 mm (97.75% vs. 71.91%; p = 0.000). Two patients had
false-negative results, accounting for 0.615% of patients who had
successful SLN detection. SLNB with CNS had sensitivity of 92.86%,
false-negative rate (FNR) of 7.14%, and negative predictive value (NPV)
of 99.29%. Importantly,
sensitivity (100%), NPV (100%),
and FNR (0%) were improved when testing the subgroup of patients with
tumours <20 mm (267 cases). There were no observed differences
in DR based on pathologic type or grade,
stage,
depth of stromal invasion,
surgical approach, menopausal status, or prior treatment with
chemotherapy (p > 0.05).