What sentinel nodes means?

Listen to pronunciation. (SEN-tih-nul limf node) The first lymph node to which cancer is likely to spread from the primary tumor. When cancer spreads, the cancer cells may appear first in the sentinel node before spreading to other lymph nodes.

What is the sentinel node and why is it important?

Sentinel lymph nodes are an important part of the immune system, and they contain the cells that monitor foreign substances, like bacteria, viruses and cancer. Sentinel lymph node mapping helps to identify the lymph nodes that are at highest risk for containing cancer.

What’s the difference between a sentinel node and a lymph node?

Sentinel nodes are the first lymph nodes where cancer cells might spread from a tumor. Lymph nodes are small organs that “filter” fluid in the body and help protect you from illness. The word “sentinel” means a guard or someone keeping watch.

Where are sentinel lymph nodes?

“Sentinel” refers to the first lymph node(s) in the armpit on the same side of the body as the breast cancer. Since specific lymph nodes handle drainage from the breast, this node(s) is the most likely place tumor cells will metastasize if some cells have left the original tumor by the time of surgery.

What distinguishes sentinel node from other lympth nodes?

In a small percentage of cases, the sentinel node is found somewhere else in the lymphatic system of the breast. If the sentinel node is positive, there may be other positive lymph nodes upstream. If it is negative, it is highly likely that all of the upstream nodes are negative.

What is a sentinel node?

In computer programming, a sentinel node is a specifically designated node used with linked lists and trees as a traversal path terminator. This type of node does not hold or reference any data managed by the data structure.

What does a sentinel node biopsy involve?

Sentinel node biopsy involves injecting a tracer material that helps the surgeon locate the sentinel nodes during surgery. The sentinel nodes are removed and analyzed in a laboratory. If the sentinel nodes are free of cancer, then cancer is unlikely to have spread, and removing additional lymph nodes is unnecessary.

What is the significance of sentinel lymph node?

A sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a procedure in which the sentinel lymph node is identified, removed, and examined to determine whether cancer cells are present. It is used in people who have already been diagnosed with cancer. A negative SLNB result suggests that cancer has not yet spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs.