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Learning about your options
Sentinel lymph node biopsy
Answers to your questions
It’s frightening to find out that you have breast cancer. Many questions and concerns are probably going through your mind: What does this mean? How will this affect my life? How do I tell my family and friends?
You may feel angry, afraid, dejected or overwhelmed. All of these responses are normal. You should know that you are not alone in breast cancer. More than 200,000 women are diagnosed with different types of breast cancer each year. Many of these women go on to live full and productive lives, thanks to new advances in breast cancer detection and treatment. In fact, if caught and treated early, your chances of surviving breast cancer are very good. The 5-year survival rate for women diagnosed with breast cancer can be as high as 98% for localized disease if detected early. More than 2 million breast cancer survivors can attest to this.
This doesn't mean that a battle with breast cancer will be easy. Breast cancer can be life threatening, and dealing with it is often physically, mentally and emotionally draining. But by leaning on your support group and understanding your breast cancer treatment options, you will find the confidence to take breast cancer head-on.
Learning about your options
When cancer is detected, the first step is to “stage” the cancer. Staging is the process used by your doctor to assess the extent of the cancer. Your doctor determines the cancer stage based on tumor size, location and whether cancer is found in other parts of the body.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy
A physician may recommend a sentinel lymph node biopsy to determine if breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The sentinel lymph node serves as a sort of first line of defense between the breast and the rest of the body. If cancer cells have broken away from a breast tumor, the sentinel lymph node is more likely than other lymph nodes to have cancer cells in it.
A biopsy of this lymph node is a minimally invasive procedure. A blue dye or radioisotope is injected into the tumor. the dye makes its way to the sentinel lymph node, and the surgeon can locate it. The surgeon then removes the node to check it for cancer. Studies have shown that this minimally invasive technique has 96% accuracy for detecting cancer cells that may have spread.
Once the type and stage of your cancer are identified, you and your doctor can discuss the best treatment options for you.
Answers to your questions
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| Q. |
What are the benefits of sentinel lymph node biopsy? |
| A. |
Removing only the sentinel node allows the pathologist (a physician specializing in the study of disease) to closely examine the specimen, aiding in the detection of cancer. There is typically a smaller incision, which may result in shorter recovery time and less post-operative pain than axillary lymph node dissection.
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| Q. |
Who is a candidate for sentinel lymph node biopsy? |
| A. |
Women who have undergone a breast biopsy and have been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer should ask their doctor if sentinel lymph node biopsy is an appropriate alternative to axillary lymph node dissection for them.
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| Q. |
Who is not a candidate for sentinel lymph node biopsy? |
| A. |
Patients who have obviously cancerous lymph nodes should have a complete axillary node dissection, as it is good to remove as much obvious cancerous tissue as is accessible to the surgeon. Patients who have had large “open surgical” biopsies or lumpectomies are not good candidates, as these surgical procedures could disrupt the lymphatic circulation from the breast into the underarm, making the sentinel node difficult to find. Patients with large tumors should discuss with their doctor whether to have chemotherapy prior to any definitive treatment of the breast or axillary area.
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