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The lymph nodes located in the axilla area that are affected by breast cancer are called the guardian or sentinel lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are essential to the lymphatic/immune system due to their main function of filtering unrecognized particles and molecules. [4] The idea of treating breast cancer with the axillary dissection procedure was ...
Lymphadenectomy, or lymph node dissection, is the surgical removal of one or more groups of lymph nodes. [1] It is almost always performed as part of the surgical management of cancer . In a regional lymph node dissection , some of the lymph nodes in the tumor area are removed; in a radical lymph node dissection , most or all of the lymph nodes ...
This node is then removed and examined. If there is no cancer present, it is assumed the cancer has not spread to the other lymph nodes. This procedure is often less invasive and less damaging than the axillary lymph node dissection. The estimated risk of lymphedema following sentinel lymph node procedure is less than 3%.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) or axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) may be used to determine if the cancer has progressed away from the breast and into other parts of the body. [10] Sentinel lymph node biopsy is the analysis of a few removed sentinel nodes for the presence of cancerous cells.
Breast and trunk lymphedema can also occur but go unrecognised as there is swelling in the area after surgery, and its symptoms (peau d'orange and an inverted nipple) can be confused with post surgery fat necrosis. [16] Between 38 and 89% of breast cancer patients have lymphedema due to axillary lymph node dissection or radiation.
Axillary lymphadenopathy is distinguished by an increase in volume or changes in the morphology of the axillary lymph nodes. It can be detected through palpation during a physical examination or through changes in imaging tests. On a mammogram (MMG), normal lymph nodes typically appear oval or reniform with a radiolucent center representing ...
In breast cancer patients, if micrometastases are present in the SLN, removal of these nodes is often the next step in treatment. Axillary lymph node dissection involves the excision of the nodes from the armpit, or axilla, region. Depending on the progression of the cells, the surgeon will determine the level of dissection that is required.
Radical mastectomy is a surgical procedure that treats breast cancer by removing the breast and its underlying chest muscle (including pectoralis major and pectoralis minor), and lymph nodes of the axilla (armpit). Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women.