Table 7

Tabulated summary of the specific analyses of failed or false negative analysis where such has been explicitly contained within the publication.

Authors

Year

Comment

Bendavid [56]

2002

The one false negative case occurred in a patient with liver metastases.

Also 'evidently metastatic nodes' did not receive colourant

Paramo [57]

2002

No specific analysis presented.

Wood [58]

2002

All five false negatives occurred in T3 or T4 tumors (in one case the only positive non-sentinel node was involved by direct extension). Three occurred in 1st 30 cases

Bilchik [59]

2002

All five false negatives occurred in T3 or T4 tumors. Three occurred in the first fifty cases.

Kitagawa [60]

2002

Four false negative cases were advanced T3 and/or had massive lymph node metastases

Feig [61]

2002

Also 'several patients' (of ten) classified as false negative had 'palpable lymph nodes'

Broderick-Villa [62]

2002

Learning curve strongly associated with false negative rate (67% in first half, 32% in second half). No significant association with T-stage, LN involvement or tumor diameter > or < 4 cm

Veihl [70]

2003

Amount of dye relative to tumor size was an important predictor of identification of node. False negative more common in cases with larger nodes (4.5 cm v 3.4 cm, p = 0.09)

Bilchik [83]

2006

Of the six false negatives, four were attributable to tumor obliteration of the lymphatic channels

Saha [85]

2006

95% of patients with skip metastases were T3 or T4

Thomas [87]

2006

Two patients with liver metastases along with two others with gross mesenteric disease had false positive sentinel nodes. No relationship between BMI and disease

Kelder [89]

2006

In one of the two false negatives, the non-SLNs were involved by extra-nodal tumor invasion

Bembenek [92]

2007

Significant association with learning curve/center experience, BMI (cut-off level being 22 patients and a BMI of 25 respectively) & LVI. No significant association between detection and T stage, age, sex, vascular invasion, no of nodes, total no of nodes.

Sandrucci [93]

2007

'Skip metastases' were all correlated with 'T2 lesions with massive lymphatic involvement'

Tiffet [94]

2007

Three of 12 false negatives were in patients with direct tumor involvement of adjacent non-sentinel epicolic nodes while four were in N2 patients. False negative rate markedly lower in the subgroup with T1 and T2 tumors only. and in those with BMI < 30 kg/m²

Cahill et al. BMC Surgery 2008 8:17   doi:10.1186/1471-2482-8-17