Categories of Q&A
Prevention
Risk
Genetics & Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer in Men
Myths
Signs & Symptoms
Breast Cancer Screening
Diagnosis
Treatment
Side Effects
Side Effects on Sex & Intimacy
Integrative & Alternative Medicine
Health for Women
Q&A for Survivors
 The magazine on:

  • Women's health
     
  • Breast health
     
  • Breast cancer
Read for free.
Click here.


Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy  

What is a sentinel lymph node biopsy?

After a person is diagnosed with breast cancer, a doctor will want to determine whether or not the cancer has spread beyond the breast. The first place that gets checked is the network of lymph nodes (i.e., the axillary lymph nodes) under the arm.

In the past, a patient usually had to undergo an axillary lymph node dissection, whereby the lymph nodes are removed from under the armpit. Unfortunately, this procedure sometimes promotes chronic swelling or lymphedema in the arm. About to 10% to 20% of patients who undergo axillary lymph node dissection develop lymphedema.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy is a newer technique that can be used to make the same determination; i.e.: to assess whether or not the breast cancer has spread to an axillary lymph node. During a sentinel lymph node biopsy, either blue dye or a small amount of a radioactive substance (a radioisotope) is injected into the tumor. The first lymph node in which the dye or radioisotope collects is called the sentinel node. As the sentinel lymph node is the first area in the armpit region to which the breast cancer cells can spread, the sentinel lymph node is surgically removed and biopsied (examined under the microscope) to determine whether cancer cells are present.

If the sentinel lymph node does not contain any cancer cells, this result often eliminates the need to remove additional nodes in the axillary (armpit) area for evaluation.

Therefore, unlike axillary lymph node dissection, sentinel lymph node biopsy requires that only 1 to 3 of the lymph nodes under the arm be removed for evaluation.


Questions Related to Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
What is a complete response?
What does spontaneous remission mean?
Can benign cysts become cancerous?
What is gynecomastia?
What is a radiograph?
What is a tumor marker?
What is ductal comedocarcinoma?
What is an adenocarcinoma of the breast?
What is a carcinoma in situ?
What is infiltrating ductal carcinoma? What is invasive ductal carcinoma? What is IDC?
What is infiltrating lobular carcinoma? What is invasive lobular carcinoma? What is ILC?
What is medullary carcinoma?
What is mucinous carcinoma?
What is colloid carcinoma?
What is tubular carcinoma?
What is a Phyllodes tumor? What is a Phylloides tumor?
What is cystosarcoma phyllodes?
What is an adenoma of the breast?
What does axilla mean?
What is angiogenesis?
What is axillary dissection?
What is an axillary biopsy?
What is bilateral breast cancer?
What is unilateral breast cancer?
What is a brain scan?
What is a skeletal bone survey?
What is wire localization?
What is duct ectasia?
What is periductal mastitis?
What is mastitis?
What is an estrogen receptor assay?
What is a progesterone receptor assay?
What does incidence mean?
What does prevalence mean?
What is meant by a surgical margin of a tumor?
What is meant by a negative margin of a tumor?
What is meant by a positive margin of a tumor?
What is meant by a close margin of a tumor?
What is a micrometastasis?
What is mediastinoscopy?
What is a monoclonal antibody?
What is an antigen?
What is needle aspiration?
What is needle localization?
What is nipple discharge?
What is a nuclear medicine scan?
What is nodal status?
What is a nodule?
What is a neoplasm?
What is a scintillation camera?

Page 3 of 4
  Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next


 

is a trademark of HC Search Corporation.