The surgeon can see which group of lymph nodes the dye reaches first. The dye and the tracer drain away from the breast tissue into nearby lymph nodes. The radioactive liquid is called a tracer.ĭuring the operation, your surgeon may also inject a small amount of blue dye into the breast. You usually have this in the nuclear medicine department in the hospital. How you have a sentinel lymph node biopsyĪ few hours before the operation, you have an injection of a small amount of mildly radioactive liquid into your breast close to the cancer. You have about 1 to 3 nodes removed to see if they contain cancer cells. Your surgeon usually carries out a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) during the operation to remove your breast cancer. This means it’s the first lymph node the breast cancer could spread to. The sentinel node is the first node that fluid drains to from the breast into the armpit. Checking lymph nodes during surgery (sentinel lymph node biopsy) But you will have a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) at the same time as your breast surgery. You have this to check if cancer cells have spread to the nearby lymph nodes. If the lymph nodes look normal during the ultrasound scan, you don’t have a biopsy. This is called an axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) or clearance. You have this at the same time as your breast surgery. If this shows that the cancer has spread to the nodes in the armpit, you will have surgery to remove all or most of them. The biopsy is sent to the laboratory to check for cancer cells. You usually have a biopsy of any lymph nodes that look abnormal. This is to see if they contain cancer cells. Checking the lymph nodes before surgeryīefore your surgery you have an ultrasound scan to check the lymph nodes in the armpit close to the breast. This helps the doctors work out the stage of your cancer and plan the best treatment for you. It is important to know if there are cancer cells in the lymph nodes in the armpit and how many. These lymph nodes drain the lymphatic fluid from the breast and arm. If it does spread, it usually first spreads to the lymph nodes in the armpit (axilla) close to the breast. It can help to talk to a close friend or relative about how you feel.Breast cancer can spread to other parts of the body. You might have contact details for a specialist nurse who you can contact for information if you need to. Waiting for test results can be a very worrying time. You should get your results within 1 or 2 weeks at a follow up appointment. Your doctor or nurse will tell you how to look after this for the next few days. You will have a small dressing over the biopsy area. You should be able to go home soon afterwards. After the lymph node ultrasound and biopsy This is to prevent bleeding and bruising. They put pressure on your armpit for a few minutes after the test. Your doctor removes the needle once the sample is taken. Do let the doctor know if it is painful, you may need more local anaesthetic. You will feel some pressure on the armpit, and it can sometimes feel uncomfortable, but it isn't usually painful. They might take samples from more than one area. When the area is numb, they put a thin, hollow needle attached to a syringe through your skin. They then use a local anaesthetic to numb the area. What happens during the lymph node biopsyįirst, your doctor cleans the skin. If your doctor sees any changes in the lymph nodes on the ultrasound, they might take a biopsy. Tell them if it is uncomfortable for you. You might feel a little pressure when they move the probe. They put a gel over your underarm area and hold an ultrasound probe on your skin. You lie down on the scanner couch and put your arm above your head.Ī specialist doctor called a radiologist does the scan. When you are in the ultrasound room, a staff member will ask you to take off your upper clothing. This is a good time to ask any questions that you have Your doctor or nurse will give you information about the test and ask you to sign a consent form. Or you may have it alongside other tests, such as a mammogram in a one stop breast clinic. You usually have this test in the x-ray department. What happens during the lymph node ultrasound scan Your doctor will tell you when to stop them. If you take warfarin or other medicines to thin your blood, you need to stop this before your test. Take your usual medicines as normal unless your doctor tells you otherwise. You should be able to eat and drink normally beforehand. You’ll be given written instructions on how to prepare for your axilla lymph node ultrasound and biopsy. Find out more about the lymphatic system.
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