Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

Biopsy, Sentinel Lymph Node

What To Think About

• In a sentinel lymph node biopsy, less tissue is taken out but more sections of tissue are looked at than by a standard lymph node dissection. However, if cancer is found, more surgery will be needed to look at additional lymph nodes.
• Swelling in the area around the biopsy site is less common with sentinel lymph node biopsy than with a lymph node dissection.
• The dye may cause your skin to be blue for several days after the biopsy. It may also cause your urine to turn green for 1 to 2 days.
• It is possible to have false-negative results from the small sample taken during a sentinel lymph node biopsy.

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Author:	Bets Davis, MFA	Last Updated: March 31, 2008
Medical Review:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Brent Shoji, MD - General Surgery
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