Is Routine Intraoperative Frozen-Section Examination of Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Breast Cancer Worthwhile?

Background: Routine intraoperative frozen section (FS) of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) can detect metastatic disease, allowing immediate axillary dissection and avoiding the need for reoperation. Routine FS is also costly, increases operative time, and is subject to false-negative results. We examined the benefit of routine intraoperative FS among the first 1000 patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who had SLN biopsy for breast cancer.