hi

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/3775115.stm
There's a name of a professor at a University where one of the trials is or was
being done (in the above article).
You could try calling him (or his department)

The following medscape article requires subscription (which I don't have) so I
don't know if the other location is mentioned there (or not).
Unless Tim or Mary know, you may have to subscribe to read the locations.
Two Large Trials Favor Sentinel Node Biopsy
A comparable 97% accuracy rate was reported for sentinel node biopsy and
axillary ... MS, FRCS, from the University of Wales College of Medicine in
Cardiff. ...
www.medscape.com/viewarticle/495900

We have Emily from Wales (her mother had jaw cancer) on alt.support.cancer if
you ever want to pop over and say "hi" or ask more general questions (relating
to healthcare or travel or other, in Wales) and Alayne in UK (a generally soft
place to land when things aren't going too well).

I'll leave the rest to the good folks here.  They're the experts..
Best,
J

Hello Ron, and Wife,

Look, I'm not decrying the Mayo but we're not behind USA in UK.We have
marvellous surgeons and treatments, have faith, put yourselves in their
hands. They are as good as anywhere.

My diagnosis was in 1998. That's seven years ago. I'm in Leeds, Yorkshire
(that's not the south!). I had the blue dye injected.

Different surgeons have different methods but being in Wales doesn't mean
you'll have substandard treatment.You might have hymns sung while you're
under ... no, I didn't mean that! I have a 42 yo daughter in south Wales
who's having a first baby after a miscarriage two years ago, she's having
the very finest care in Carmarthen, it couldn't be better wherever in the
world she was.

Right. Build on that. Have faith in him. He wants you to be a success. It's
in his interest to do a good job.

So don't have any doubts.

It was a trial in Leeds seven years ago but I reckon that enough results
must have been accrued to make judgements on its efficacy.

I was treated by the Breast Care Unit at Leeds General Infirmary. But that
doesn't mean that you won't have equally good treatment. And the sentinel
node issue isn't the only one.

Well, as it happens ALL mine were removed, I ws scraped right up under my
collar bone. And no suspicious cells were found in any of them. I've had no
bad effects from their removal except a very slight lymphodoema, which
hasn't been at all disabling. I've had no infections despite having lots of
damage to the arm. A couple of weeks aftersurgery I fell on gravel and
scraped all down the soft, thin skin on my affected arm. This was a
Cosmestonmediaval village, you might know it. There are animals roaming
round and leaving deposits everywhere. I didn't know Cardiff to find a
hospital so put lots of Savlon on the bloody scrape and nothing happened.
I've been stung by bees Ias a beekeeper) and pricked by thorns in the
garden - all the things you're warned not to do. I'm very active, my surgery
only held me up for a few weeks. And I'm 66.

It is VERY easy to read something and form simplistic conclusions but the
fact is that not only are all patients different all breast cancers are
different. The specialists know how to treat us - as individuals rather than
as sausages on a mass production line. Of course they have different ideas
and approaches too but just because you might not have sentinel node
investigation does NOT mean that you won't have the very best care for your
situation.

And are you any the wiser? That doesn't mean much to me. I've been told the
ins and outs of my diagnosis but while I understood it at the time because
it was explained I soon forgot and the knowledge didn't help (or hinder) my
recovery. Because I was put on a clinical trial after the surgery (and
sentinel node biopsy) I don't even know what drugs I took.

I don't want you to think that I wasn't interested, I was fascinated, Breast
cancer is a fascinating condition. I asked so many questions while in
hospital that the sister dumped a huge tome on my belly and said, "Read
that!". And I did. I hugged it to me and wanted to take it home with me, of
course I couldn't. It had been given to the ward by a patient who asked
questions just like I did, bought the book and left it for future patients.
I was very grateful to that woman.

The book? Dr Susan Love's Breast Book. Forget websites from the Mayo or any
others until you've bought it (about ?15) and read it and re-read it.Ask
questions here but do remember that your case is unique. Susan Love is our
guru and anyone who's read her will confirm that. The book isn't just bout
breast cancer but it answers every question you could have, it's there all
the time in your hands and will fascinate as well as inform you.

I have my own copy now because a year or so after I came out my husband went
to Waterstones and asked for it. They said, horrified, "Oh, we don't have
that sort of book here!" Well, I suppose if you've never heard of it, having
an old, long haired grey bearded man asking for Susan Love's Breast Book
might appear suspicious ... He persisted and ordered it.I suggest you go to
Amazon, it will be cheaper there (?10.83) and not take as long to get it.

Oh - it's American but don't let that put you off! And don't let it make you
think that everything across the water is better than here either. It's a
wonderful book and Susan Love's words are universal. She's a breast
surgeon,by the way.

And contact Cancer BacUp

http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk

They're amazingly helpful and have lots of resources on topics you wouldn't
think about.

Please don't get bogged down on the sentinel node business, there are many
other things to discover. It's a good tool but it won't make the difference
between life and death.

I believe that it's unusual for all a patients nodes to be removed but I'm
healthy, fit living proof that you can live very well without them. There
are ways of overcoming any way their removal might affect you.

It can but doesn't  necessarily do so. You're setting off on a long road of
very many procedures, all of which can be exciting or depressing, depending
on your attitude. I took the exciting route, it didn't affect my recovery
but it made it worthwhile!

Do let us know what happens. If you'd like to mail me privately please do,
my address is genuine. I'd like to know where you are.

Hugs,

Mary

I have read that there is quite a lot of patient pressure to introduce
this in the NHS.  There are a couple of reasons why it has not been done.

The idea of sentinel node biopsy is to identify the node or a few nodes
most likely to have cancer.  They then remove the indicated node(s) and
examine it microscopically.  If it has no cancer then all well and good,
they sew you up and send you on your way.  If it has cancer, then they
proceed the same way as if the sentinel procedure was not done, and
remove a large area of nodes.

The advantage of the procedure is that for people with cancer-negative
nodes, it greatly reduces the risk of lymphedema, which happens to about
25% of patients who have lymph node dissection.  Of course if the nodes
are cancer-positive, then it makes no difference.

The disadvantage is that there is a small risk of false negative:
getting the wrong node, or otherwise missing cancer that is actually
there.  This means leaving an active tumour in the body to spread
further, and getting a wrong diagnosis about the extent of the cancer,
and so under-treating.  This risk depends on how well trained and
experienced  the doctor performing the procedure is, and is reducing as
the technique develops.

As I understand it so far NICE sees that the risk balance as inadequate
to recommend this procedure, at least until a lot more doctors are
trained in the technique.

The patient-pressure is inevitable as the relatively large risk of an
unpleasant condition tends to loom a lot larger than a small risk of a
fatal condition.  This is not necessarily logical, but does tend to
drive US practice rather more than in the UK.