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Results
By Mayo Clinic staffIf examination of the sentinel nodes does not show any sign of cancer, no further lymph node evaluation is needed, and your doctor will use this information to help develop your cancer treatment plan, if further treatment is needed.
If any of the sentinel nodes contain cancer, you'll likely need to have additional lymph nodes removed to determine the extent of lymph node involvement.
In certain cases, the sentinel nodes can be examined by a pathologist during your procedure. If your surgeon has this information while you're still in the operating room, additional lymph nodes may be removed right away. This way, you may not need to have another surgery to remove additional lymph nodes.
- Harlow SP, et al. Sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer: Techniques. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 3, 2011.
- Robison K, et al. Update on sentinel lymph node evaluation in gynecologic malignancies. Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2011;23:8.
- Sentinel lymph node biopsy. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/detection/sentinel-node-biopsy. Accessed Oct. 3, 2011.
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