Single-port Non-liposuction Endoscopic Axillary Lymph Node Dissection in Breast Cancer Surgery

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor among women worldwide. For patients with a high axillary lymph node burden, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) remains an essential component of surgical management; however, its associated complications may adversely affect long-term quality of life. With advances in endoscopic technology, ALND has progressively evolved toward minimally invasive and anatomically precise approaches. This study systematically describes the surgical steps and key technical considerations of single-port endoscopic ALND performed without liposuction. Indications included breast cancer patients with pathologically confirmed axillary lymph node metastasis preoperatively or positive sentinel lymph nodes identified intraoperatively. A total of 15 patients were enrolled. The mean number of retrieved lymph nodes was 16.8 per patient. The mean intraoperative blood loss was 8.46 mL, and the mean total postoperative drainage volume was 241 mL. No severe intraoperative or postoperative complications were observed during the study period. This study presents a standardized surgical protocol intended to support the reproducible clinical implementation of single-port endoscopic ALND.