Treatment

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Treatment

Chapter: 6 - Treatment

Subchapter: 6 - Lymph Node Removal

In addition to your surgical procedure, your doctor may wish to remove and examine lymph nodes; this is to determine whether the cancer has spread and to what extent. Your doctor will perform a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy and/or an Axillary Node Dissection. Let’s discuss both methods.

Sentinel Lymph Nodes and Sentinel Node Biopsy
While it is not easily controlled, the spread of cancer is sometimes predictable. The cancer cells spread through a customary path, out from the tumor and into the surrounding lymph nodes, before they progress throughout the body.

To be able to identify the sentinel lymph node, the surgeon will inject dye or a radioactive tracer into the tissue near the tumor; the lymph nodes that are the most susceptible to the cancer’s spread will be marked by the dye or a radioactive tracer. During surgery, the lymph nodes will be removed and checked for the presence of cancer cells.

Axillary Node Dissection
To determine if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, examinations can be performed with ultrasound and more carefully by removing one or more of the first draining lymph nodes with sentinel lymph node biopsy. Patients with a tumor that has spread to these lymph nodes may require complete removal of the lymph nodes in the armpit, a procedure known as an axillary lymph node dissection. An axillary dissection is generally performed subsequent to a sentinel lymph node biopsy, unless a woman has had a positive fine needle aspirate of a lymph node.

A mastectomy or lumpectomy operation often includes a sentinel node biopsy and/or an axillary node dissection; both procedures involve a separate incision for lumpectomy patients. Following surgery, the pathologist will test the lymph nodes to determine whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.

Lymphedema
Removing lymph nodes raises your risk for developing Lymphedema, a condition that may cause abnormal swelling of the arm, breast, axilla, or chest wall on the side of your cancer. Swelling up to one month after surgery is not unusual and does not indicate the presence of lymphedema. However, if you experience new or persistent swelling in these areas after one month has elapsed since your surgery, you should notify your doctor.

Related Questions

  • Missing

    I had a double mastectomy two weeks ago. I have been discharged by my surgeon, but I am now having tingling, sharp pains in my left arm where the lymph nodes were examined. Is there anything I can do that would help?

    Asked by anonymous

    Learning About Breast Cancer
    over 1 year ago 1 answers •
    • anonymous
      Stage 4 Patient

      Hi, it's been almost eight weeks since I had my double mastectomy. I had 15 lymph nodes removed. I've had different pains as well. It may be the nerves growing back. But you might want to call your surgeon just to rule out any problems.

      Comment

  • I have two adjacent Spiculated Masses with Pleomorphic Microcalcifications in the Right Breast corresponding to the palpable area, 5 on BIRADS - highly suspicious for malignancy . Am having biopsy with surgeon.Any thoughts on what to expect next?

    Asked by anonymous

    Learning About Breast Cancer
    4 months ago 3 answers •
    • anonymous
      Survivor since 2011

      The biopsy isn't to bad. Mine was a needle assisted by ultra sound. I think the waiting for the results was the hardest. I got the cancer diagnoses 24 hours after the biopsy but the full results took 3 days. It felt like 6 months my freaking out didn't help. Hang in there lean on your faith and...

      more

      The biopsy isn't to bad. Mine was a needle assisted by ultra sound. I think the waiting for the results was the hardest. I got the cancer diagnoses 24 hours after the biopsy but the full results took 3 days. It felt like 6 months my freaking out didn't help. Hang in there lean on your faith and maybe a little xanex.

      Comment
    • anonymous
      Stage 1 Patient

      I can't speak to your particular diagnosis but I can tell you that the biopsy was pretty easy, looking back. I was wide awake, got a local and they took 5 core samples. I had my biopsy on a Friday, lived through the world's LONGEST Easter weekend and then got my positive diagnosis on Monday. ...

      more

      I can't speak to your particular diagnosis but I can tell you that the biopsy was pretty easy, looking back. I was wide awake, got a local and they took 5 core samples. I had my biopsy on a Friday, lived through the world's LONGEST Easter weekend and then got my positive diagnosis on Monday. Start to finish, I had treatment for 7 months and now I am 3 months done and find it's hard believe I've done it all. I wish you a swift journey to the other side of treatment as well.

      Comment

  • What is the difference between a lumpectomy and excisional biopsy with clear margins?

    Asked by anonymous

    Learning About Breast Cancer
    over 1 year ago 2 answers •
    • anonymous
      Learning About Breast Cancer

      I am a RN with 35 years nursing experience, and I had an excisional biopsy myself last month. The terms mean pretty much the same thing. Technically, a lumpectomy is simply the removal of a lump. In an excisional biopsy, the lump is removed as well as a portion of healthy tissue surrounding...

      more

      I am a RN with 35 years nursing experience, and I had an excisional biopsy myself last month. The terms mean pretty much the same thing. Technically, a lumpectomy is simply the removal of a lump. In an excisional biopsy, the lump is removed as well as a portion of healthy tissue surrounding the lump. The terms clear, clean, or negative margins all mean that no suspicious cells were close to the edge of the excised tissue. In other words, they got it all. Close margins means suspicious or cancerous cells were close to the edge of the excised mass, and positive margins would mean that suspicious or cancerous cells were all the way to the edge of the excised tissue. In those incidences you would go back to surgery so they could take out a little more.

      Comment
    • anonymous
      Learning About Breast Cancer

      and also, has anyone ever heard of a phyllodies tumor? I guess there is a possibilty my tumor might just be that, but being it's so rare there are not many studies out there about it and each web site says something different, so I was hoping someone could shed some light my way?

      Comment

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