Lymphatic Mapping and Sentinel Node Biopsy
One of the problems doctors have faced in treating breast cancer and
malignant melanoma has been determining if and where the disease has spread.
While we have known for some time that cancer cells typically travel from the
tumor to the site of nearby lymph nodes, there was no way to pinpoint the exact
pathway or the specific nodes affected.
At Cayuga Medical Center, radiologists, pathologists, nuclear medicine
specialists, and surgeons use a technique for diagnosing and treating breast
cancer and malignant melanoma called lymphatic mapping and sentinel node
biopsy. This technique allows doctors to accurately trace the path of certain
types of cancer cells and identify the first (sentinel) lymph node into which migrating
cancer cells have drained. It's a significant breakthrough in cancer diagnosis.
And, for many women with a diagnosis of breast cancer, the result can be less
invasive surgery and minimal follow-up therapy if the cancer has not spread to
the sentinel node. This technology, which is called lymphoscintigraphy,
employs special radiographic tracers and a state-of-the-art hand-held Gamma
camera which help surgeons pinpoint the exact location of effected lymph nodes.