RT Journal
A1 Badruddoja MM
T1 MIcrometastasis and axillary dissection in breast cancer
JF Archives of Surgery
JO Archives of Surgery
YR 2010
FD October 1
VO 145
IS 10
SP 1022
OP 1023
DO 10.1001/archsurg.2010.214
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.2010.214
AB 
The article by Wasif et al1 published in the February 2010 issue of the Archives has brought another controversial issue to readers as well as to breast oncologists and breast oncologic surgeons. This issue has been dealt with in detail in a recent Consensus Conference III of an interdisciplinary group of physicians who are involved in the treatment of breast diseases.2 This elite group of physicians feels that micrometastasis currently warrants neither axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) nor any adjuvant treatment, based on the fact that micrometastasis does not have an additional risk of axillary failure. These 2 scientific articles raise important questions for both academic and nonacademic breast surgeons: