Surgical oncology is a surgical specialty related to the cure and management of cancer.
The removal and examination of a sample of tissue.
The surgical excision of a tumor from the breast with the removal of a minimal amount of surrounding tissue.
Any of the small, bean-shaped glands located throughout the lymphatic system of the body, which contain lymphocytes, or immune system cells that can trap cancer cells or bacteria that travel through the body.
Cancerous.
Using an imaging device as a guide, a thin wire is used to mark the location of an area of tissue so it can be surgically removed.
The sentinel lymph node is the first lymph node to which cancer cells are likely to spread from the primary tumor. Cells may appear in the sentinel node before spreading to other lymph nodes. Sentinel node biopsies are used to help determine the stage of cancer.
During a sentinel lymph node biopsy, the surgeon removes one to five sentinel lymph nodes and sends them to a pathologist to determine if cancer cells have spread to them. If cancer is found in these lymph nodes, it is an indication that the disease has metastasized (spread).
Before the procedure, the physician will numb the area and inject a blue dye or special tracer substance into the area around the original cancer site. The dye or tracer then moves to the first lymph node (sentinel node) that drains closest to the cancer site. The dye or tracer makes a map pattern of lymphatic fluid that shows where the cancer is likely to spread. That lymph node is removed, cut into thin slices, and viewed under a microscope. If the sentinel node is positive for cancer cells, additional surgery will be done to remove more lymph nodes.
This is an outpatient procedure, and you may either be given general anesthesia, or a sedative to help you relax. The procedure itself takes 30 to 60 minutes. The biopsy site may be sore for several days after surgery, but you should be able to resume most activities within a day or two.