Journal Review in Breast Surgery: SOUND and INSEMA Trials - Should Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Be Omitted in Select Breast Cancer Patients?

  • Picture this: a patient with early-stage breast cancer is sitting in front of you in the clinic. You are about to offer your expert management plan. The age-old question arises—should you really perform a sentinel lymph node biopsy, or could omission actually help this patient more? Today, we're tackling one of the hottest debates in modern breast cancer care.

    Should we rethink sentinel lymph node biopsy for select patients, and can skipping it actually improve quality of life without sacrificing cancer control? The stakes couldn’t be higher—balancing accurate cancer staging and minimizing harm is the name of the game. Together, we’re breaking down the latest evidence from the SOUND and INSEMA trials. What do these landmark studies mean for your patients, your practice, and the future of axillary management? Ready for a journal review that might just change your next consult?

Target Audience

  • Nurses
  • Nurse Practitioners
  • Physicians
  • Physician Assistants

Learning Objectives

  1. Understanding when and for whom it is safe and beneficial to omit sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in early-stage breast cancer patients.
  2. Identifying the risks associated with foregoing SLNB, including loss of nodal staging, and analyze how this impacts treatment selection and prognosis.
  3. Reviewing key findings from the SOUND and INSEMA trials and their influence on axillary management.
  4. Discussing implications for adjuvant therapy, genomic profiling, and multidisciplinary clinical practice.
  5. Recognizing which patient populations should still receive SLNB, and the importance of individualized, multidisciplinary decision-making.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
  • 0.50 ANCC
  • 0.50 JA Credit - AH
    • 0.50 Approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
Registration Opens: 
03/15/2026
Registration Expires: 
03/15/2028
Rating: 
0
Virtual
United States
  • Rashmi Kumar, MD, PhD
  • Melissa Pilewskie, MD
  • Stephanie Downs-Canner, MD

 

  • In support of improving patient care, Duke University Health System Clinical Education and Professional Development is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), to provide continuing education for the health care team. The designation was based upon the quality of the educational activity and its compliance with the standards and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

     

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  • AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)
  • ANCC
  • Attendance
  • JA Credit - AH

Available Credit

  • 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
  • 0.50 ANCC
  • 0.50 JA Credit - AH
    • 0.50 Approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
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