A specialised procedure, Sentinel lymph node mapping came into existence to minimise the morbidity arising out of a conventional complete axillary dissection.

SLNB is based on the concept that the axillary lymph nodes are like sentinels/guards of our body which stand against the invasion of breast cancer. Hence, isolation and examination of these nodes is a good marker of the spread of the disease to the axilla.

A non involved sentinel lymph node implies that the breast cancer has not spread to the axilla and hence a conventional axillary dissection can be avoided in such a patient.