Sentinel node excision is a medical procedure performed to take out lymph node tissues to examine them for cancer. The surgery is done to see if the cancer has spread from the original cancer site to.....
Sentinel node excision is a medical procedure performed to take out lymph node tissues to examine them for cancer. The surgery is done to see if the cancer has spread from the original cancer site to the other site and the nearby organs.
-
Steps to take before the surgery
The patient will be given specific instructions on how the preparation is to be done. Our doctor at Medanta will guide the patient on what to eat and drink, and vitamins and medications that should be taken or avoided. However, no specific preparation is required for the procedure.
-
What happens during the process?
Firstly, the surgeon will inject a blue or black dye, and a radioactive substance, or both of them into the area that surrounds the tumour. This injection is usually given under or around the areola, which is the darker area that surrounds the nipple. Then, the surgeon makes an incision under the arm and either follows the radioactive signal or finds the lymph nodes that are stained from the dye and removes them.. Once the tumour is located, the surgeons discard the lymph node completely. The removed parts are sent to the pathology lab for examination.
-
After the procedure
After the process is complete, the patient is moved to the room where the special health care team monitors the patient for any complication or allergy that might have developed due to the procedure or anaesthesia. If any other surgery is not involved, the patient is allowed to go home on the very same day. It is completely on the severity of the situation, how early the patient can return to daily life.
The procedure very efficiently treats cancer, but as any other complex surgery, it also has a few risks associated with it.
The advantages of Sentinel Node Excision treatment are:
It is less invasive in comparison to axillary lymph node excision. With detailed information available, one or a small cluster of two to three nodes are required to be removed. The process gives precise information on lymph nodes which are at highest risk for breast cancer. The process is the most beneficial option for women having an early stage disease with lower risk of node involvement.
The risks associated with Sentinel Node Excision are:
Usually, sentinel node excision is a procedure that is extremely safe. But, the general risks of surgeries are associated with this disorder. Some of them include:
- Bruising or pain at the biopsy site.
- Bleeding.
- Infection at the incision site.
- Lymphedema: A disorder which results in fluid buildup and swelling because lymph vessels are not able to draw adequate lymph fluid from a particular area of the body
The major limitation of the surgery is that it cannot be performed when the cancer is 5 cm or larger, or when the cancer has spread extensively in the breast.
