How many Sentinel Lymph nodes we have?

Muffins123

Hi All,

The surgeon said he was going to remove 4 lymph nodes, but ended up taking out 8.  I noticed some people take out less or more.  When I asked the

doctor why 8 were taken out she said,  the surgeon just takes out whichever lymph nodes had the dye.   They were all clear, but I don't really understand.

How does that work?

Thanks

 

dwill

I am not 100 percent sure and someone else may be able to explain it better but I was told the sentinel lymph node is the main lymph node that every lymph nodes drain out. That is why if they do not find cancer in the lymph nodes, the doctor will dissect the sentinel lymph node to destroy the path out and keep anything that may show back up contained in the breast area.

Moderators

Hi Muffins,

The main Breastcancer.org site has a section on Lymph Node Removal that really helps describe the process, and what this all means. We hope this helps!

--The Mods

dwill

Thanks Moderators,  I was able to understand much better after I went to the LYMPH NODE REMOVAL site you recommended.

Muffins, I apologize for giving incorrect or incomplete information.

Muffins123

Thanks to both of you for responding, I will check the site.