Table 2. Comparison of morbidity outcomes (SLNB vs. ALND).
| Trial/author | No. of patients | Arm lymphedema (%) | Axillary numbness (%) | Abduction deficit (%) | Seroma (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veronesi et al. [24] | |||||
| SLNB | 259 | 7 | 1 | 0 | NR |
| ALND | 257 | 75 | 68 | 21 | |
| ALMANAC [25] | |||||
| SLNB | 478 | 5 | 11 | Significantly impaired in ALND group | NR |
| ALND | 0476 | 13 | 31 | ||
| Sentinella-GIVOM [30] | |||||
| SLNB | 345 | OR = 0.48* | OR = 0.51† | OR = 0.55‡ | NR |
| ALND | 352 | ||||
| SNAC [27] | |||||
| SLNB | 0544 | 2.8 | NR | 2.5 | 17 |
| ALND | 0539 | 4.2 | - | 4.4 | 36 |
| NSABP B-32 [32] | |||||
| SLNB | 2,697 | 8 | 8.1 | 13 | NR |
| ALND | 2,619 | 14 | 31.1 | 19 | |
| Purushotham et al. [31] | |||||
| SLNB | 143 | OR = 0.30§ | 66 | No significant change | 14 |
| ALND | 155 | 84 | 21 |
SLNB=sentinel lymph node biopsy; ALND=axillary lymph node dissection; NR=not reported; OR=odds ratio.
*p=0.01; †p<0.0001; ‡p=0.02; §p=0.004.