Once you have been diagnosed with an invasive melanoma of 0.8mm thickness or greater, your surgeon may discuss the role of a sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure with you for staging purposes. If the melanoma has spread, it is more than likely gone to nearby lymph nodes first. This first draining lymph node of the melanoma is referred to as a sentinel node. A biopsy of this node carries important information related to staging and prognosis of the melanoma.
During a biopsy, your doctor will remove a small piece of one of your lymph nodes. It will then be sent to a specialist to be examined under a microscope.
Believe it or not, most people aren’t even aware that they have lymph nodes, yet they’re incredibly important signal centers for something out of the ordinary. Lymph nodes are hundreds of small organs spread throughout your body. Essentially, their main function is to filter out harmful foreign invaders such as germs and bacteria.
The above video will tell you everything you need to know about the biopsy, what to expect, and more.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Cecilia Larocca is a dermatologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Read More
Once you have been diagnosed with an invasive melanoma of 0.8mm thickness or greater, your surgeon may discuss the role of a sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure with you for staging purposes. If the melanoma has spread, it is more than likely gone to nearby lymph nodes first. This first draining lymph node of the melanoma is referred to as a sentinel node. A biopsy of this node carries important information related to staging and prognosis of the melanoma.
During a biopsy, your doctor will remove a small piece of one of your lymph nodes. It will then be sent to a specialist to be examined under a microscope.
READ MORE
Believe it or not, most people aren’t even aware that they have lymph nodes, yet they’re incredibly important signal centers for something out of the ordinary. Lymph nodes are hundreds of small organs spread throughout your body. Essentially, their main function is to filter out harmful foreign invaders such as germs and bacteria.
The above video will tell you everything you need to know about the biopsy, what to expect, and more.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Cecilia Larocca is a dermatologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Read More
