Positive Lymph Nodes

If the cancer is not confined to the duct or lobule where it developed, further surgery is performed to help determine whether it has spread beyond the breast. Two types of surgery can be performed in the axilla (armpit) to help determine possible spread. These are an axillary dissection and sentinel node biopsy.

An axillary dissection is surgery in the armpit to remove lymph nodes (small glands that filter cellular fluids) to determine whether cancer has spread there and perhaps elsewhere in the body. The surgeon generally removes five to 30 nodes. The total number of cancerous lymph nodes is more important than the amount of cancer in any one node.

A sentinel lymph node biopsy removes only one to three lymph nodes. The sentinel node is the first lymph node(s) where cancer cells spread from a primary tumor. The surgeon injects a traceable substance near the tumor and checks the area to determine which nodes have taken up the substance. That node or nodes are then removed and examined for the presence of cancer cells.

If breast cancer cells are detected, the cancer is more likely to recur. Due to this increased risk, your doctor will probably recommend systemic therapy, which treats the whole body and includes chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy.

Would you like to talk with someone who has had lymph node surgery? Call the Y-ME Hotline at 800-221-2141 and speak with a trained peer counselor who is a breast cancer survivor.