Conditions for patient eligibility

Inclusion criteria:

• Patients must be female.
• Patients must be 18 years of age or older.
• Patients with stage IIA, IIB, IIIA (T1-3 and N1-2) breast cancer. Clinical N0 accepted if biopsy proven node disease.
• Patients that have biopsy proven positive axillary disease made by core needle biopsy or fine needle aspiration .
• Patients that accept to undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy; patients are eligible until the day of surgery.
• Patients with bilateral breast cancer are eligible. Sentinel node biopsy is allowed on the contralateral breast if there is no disease in the axilla prior to chemotherapy.
• Patients that understand, accept and have signed the approved consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with inflammatory breast cancer.
• Patient with stage IIIB, IIIC or IV breast cancer (T4 and N3) Patients with clinical N3 disease are excluded.
• Patients that have had previous axillary dissection or an axillary sentinel node biopsy; (patients that have had excisional biopsy or ipsilateral tumorectomy are eligible).
• Patients that have had previous radiotherapy to the axillary nodes
• Patients that have had mammary reduction
• Patients that are medically unfit to receive chemotherapy, as evaluated by the treating physician.
• If the injection of blue dye is planned, patients with hypersensitivity or allergy to isosulfan blue, Patent blue or methylene blue or radiocolloid dye are ineligible.
• Patients who are pregnant or breast feeding .
• Psychiatric or addictive disorders or other conditions that preclude the patient from meeting the study requirements.