Abstract: The concept of sentinel lymph node (SLN)holds that the lymphatic effluent of a tumor drains initially to one or two lymph nodes before other nodes receive the tumoral drainage.It is a great advance in breast cancer surgery to one or two lymph nodes before other nodes receive the tumoral drainage.It is a great advance in breast cancer surgery to predict regional nodal metastases by sentinel lymph node detection in breast cancer,which can give the more refinedstaging of breast cancer.According to the different tracers,there are two ways to detect SLN.Using a radiopharmaceutical to identify SLN in breast cancer is superior,and differs from traditional lymphoscintigraphy.Some factors could affect SLN detection in breast cancer,and many efforts should be taken to improve SLN detection techniques.