The surgical treatment of breast cancer has been enhanced throughout the years in order to offer oncologically safer and more effective results with lower esthetic impact and fewer sequelae. The lymphedema of the upper limb is still an iatrogenic result of great incidence and morbidity after this treatment. A possible existence of independent breast and upper limb lymphatic pathways has become the issue of many researchers willing to minimize its occurrence. This review aims to compare the lymphatic pathways in the axilla described by traditional anatomy books and recently published articles about Axillary Reverse Mapping (ARM). With this purpose, a comparative table was made with the descriptions found in books and articles, a statistic table of the data collected, a flowchart of anastomoses among nodes and an analytical drawing of the most statistically mentioned drained areas. It was observed that there is great variability in the descriptions of drainage and anastomoses among the lymph nodes in the references used, so there should be a consensus of a universal description which also assembles possible anatomical variations. Furthermore, the findings brought about by recent studies show possible anastomoses among pathways and lymph nodes, however they have not been taken into consideration when ARM was initially proposed. Therefore, the axillary resection with the preservation of the posterior and lateral axillary lymph nodes is theoretically possible to avoid lymphedema of the upper limb, but the development of an updated universal description that involves all possible anatomical variations will provide a safer and more effective treatment.
KEY WORDS: Anatomy; Mapping; Axillary; Lymphatics; Upper Limb; Drainage; Breast.
