Objective: To investigate the requirement for further axillary lymph node dissection in patients with early breast cancer and positive sentinel lymph node biopsy results. Methods: The clinical data of 112 patients with early breast cancer undergoing axillary lymph node dissection due to positive sentinel lymph node biopsy results were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Of the 112 patients with positive sentinel lymph node, pathological result of lymph nodes after axillary lymph node dissection was negative in 75 cases (67.0%). Univariate analysis showed that tumor size, number of positive sentinel lymph nodes, extra lymph node invasion, HER-2, Ki-67, and histological grade had influence on pathological results of axillary lymph nodes; further dummy variable analysis demonstrated that the risk of positive axillary lymph nodes was increased with the increase of lesion size and number of positive sentinel lymph nodes. Multivariate analysis revealed that lesion size, Ki-67 expression and sentinel lymph node biopsy results were independent influential factors for results of axillary lymph node dissection (all P<0.05). Conclusion: For early breast cancer patients with a single positive sentinel lymph node, lesion ≤2 cm, and low Ki-67 expression, avoidance of further axillary lymph node clearance may be recommended.