Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Breast Cancer

At Suburban Surgical Care Specialists/Kane Center (SSCS), our team of skilled surgeons offers an innovative breast surgery procedure called the sentinel lymph node biopsy to help treat patients who have been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. “Sentinel lymph node” is the name given to the first lymph node(s) cancer cells move to when spreading through the lymphatic system. For breast cancer patients, the sentinel node is usually one (or more) of the axillary lymph nodes located underneath the arms, and the sentinel lymph node biopsy is generally performed to determine whether or not the cancer has started to spread away from the original tumor in the breast.

During this minimally invasive procedure, your surgeon will inject a safe, specialized dye into the breast near the tumor to track the potential spread of cancer cells into the lymphatic system. He will then make a small incision under your arm where the axillary nodes are located and remove lymph nodes that have been stained with the dye in order to have them examined for cancerous cells. If your sentinel nodes show no signs of cancer, it is likely the cancer has not spread. However, if there are cancerous cells present, your surgeon may need to examine additional lymph nodes to evaluate how far the cancer has spread. Based on the diagnosis, our surgeons can help determine the best treatment method going forward to improve your health.

We are committed to offering the highest quality of surgical care for breast cancer patients. If you are interested in learning more about the sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure, or if you wish to schedule a consultation at our office, please contact us today.