What are Lymph Nodes?
Lymph is a fluid that carries infection-fighting WBC along with fluid & waste products from cells & tissues of the body. Lymph nodes a tiny round organs that are part of the lymphatic system which in turn is a part of the body’s immune system.
What is a Sentinel Lymph Node?
Sentinel lymph node is the first node into which the tumour is most likely to drain. In certain cases, there may be more than one sentinel lymph node.
What is Sentinel Node Biopsy?
Sentinel Node Biopsy is also known as Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy or Sentinel Lymph Node Dissection. It is a commonly used surgical procedure to identify, remove & determine whether the cancer has spread into the lymphatic system. This is done in patients already diagnosed with cancer.
If the biopsy does not identify any cancer cells in the sentinel nodes, it indicates that the cancer is unlikely to spread to lymph nodes. However,if the biopsy is positive, there is a high change that cancer would spread into other surrounding lymph nodes.In such cases, the patient may be recommended to have the lymph nodes removed.