Does sentinel lymph node biopsy treat breast cancer?

During the procedure, a surgeon identifies and removes the first lymph node or small group of nodes that drain the breast area. A laboratory examines the tissue for cancer cells. The result can show whether cancer has spread beyond the breast and can help the team decide whether additional lymph node surgery or other treatment is appropriate.

The biopsy is a diagnostic and staging procedure, not a medicine or operation intended to destroy the breast tumour. Breast cancer treatment may involve surgery, radiotherapy, hormone treatment, chemotherapy, targeted treatment, or a combination, depending on the cancer's features and the person's health.

Before the biopsy, ask how the lymph node will be located, what anaesthesia is planned, and how the result will affect the next step. Afterward, follow wound-care instructions and watch for increasing redness, drainage, fever, worsening pain, or swelling. Keep the arm moving as advised, but avoid strenuous activity until your surgical team says it is suitable.

Bring your pathology or imaging questions to the appointment. The biopsy result is interpreted alongside the breast examination, scans, tumour findings, and other laboratory information.

Contact your surgical team promptly for bleeding that does not settle with gentle pressure, a wound that opens, spreading redness, pus-like drainage, fever, or pain that is becoming harder to control. Seek urgent help for sudden breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, or rapid swelling.

Ask which lymph nodes are being sampled, when the pathology result should be available, what a positive or negative result would change, and whether you need treatment aimed at the breast tumour or other areas.