Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Melanoma
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Melanoma Treatment: Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
The sentinel node is the first lymph node that receives lymphatic drainage from the site of a tumor. Before cancer cells spread, or metastasize, to other lymph nodes and places in the body, they typically first appear in the sentinel node.
According to the National Cancer Institute, sentinel lymph node mapping is “the use of dyes and radioactive substances to identify the first lymph node to which cancer is likely to spread from the primary tumor.”
At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), sentinel node mapping is conducted on an inpatient basis after primary cancer surgery. Surgeons remove the sentinel lymph node for two reasons:
- A pathological study of the sentinel node determines the presence or absence of cancerous cells. If cancer is present, this procedure allows doctors to properly stage the cancer and recommend additional treatment options.
- If the study shows the sentinel node to be negative, or cancer-free, usually no additional lymph nodes need be removed.
This information is important. Determining your sentinel node can make it possible for your care team at CTCA to discover the precise location for treating and preventing the melanoma from spreading, while avoiding more extensive surgical biopsies and the resulting aftereffects.
Surgeons at CTCA hospitals perform sentinel lymph node biopsies to attempt to reduce the number of lymph nodes in your body that need to be removed for biopsy. A sentinel lymph node biopsy may also lessen the severity of a condition known as “lymphedema,” in which excess fluid collects in tissue and causes swelling. Lymphedema may occur in the arm or leg after lymph vessels or lymph nodes in your underarm or groin are removed or treated with radiation.
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