Sometimes the swelling lasts for only a few weeks and then goes away. But in some women, it lasts a long time. If your arm is swollen, tight, or painful after lymph node surgery, be sure to tell someone on your cancer care team right away.
You might also have limited movement in your arm and shoulder after surgery. The dye and the tracer drain away from the breast tissue into nearby lymph nodes.
The surgeon can see which group of lymph nodes the dye reaches first. They also use a radioactive monitor to see which group of lymph nodes the tracer gets to first. Your surgeon removes between 1 to 3 nodes. They are sent to the laboratory to be looked at by a specialist called a pathologist. The dye can stain your breast slightly blue. It gradually fades over a few weeks or months. The dye also turns your urine green for a few days. If cancer cells are in the sentinel nodes , you have another operation to remove most or all of the lymph nodes under your arm.
This is an axillary lymph node dissection or clearance. You generally have it about 2 weeks after you get the results. Some people have radiotherapy to the armpit to destroy any remaining cancer cells instead of surgery. In some hospitals, the surgeon gets the results of the sentinel lymph node biopsy during the operation. This is called an intra operative assessment. They can remove the rest of the nodes axillary lymph node dissection if necessary.
You then avoid having a second operation. An operation to remove most or all of the lymph nodes under the arm is called an axillary lymph node dissection or axillary clearance. The surgeon makes a small cut in your armpit to remove the lymph nodes. Generally, they remove between 10 and 15 lymph nodes.
But the number of nodes in the armpit varies from person to person. The surgeon sends the lymph nodes to the laboratory. A pathologist checks them for cancer cells. You get the results at your follow up appointment, about 2 weeks after surgery. There are some possible problems after having surgery to the lymph nodes in your axilla. Not everyone will have these but there is a bigger risk if you have an axillary dissection. You are at risk of long term swelling lymphoedema in your hand and arm after surgery to remove your lymph nodes in the armpit.
This is swelling caused by lymph fluid that can't drain away. It can happen any time after surgery and radiotherapy to your armpit. Not everyone will get this and it is less likely to happen if you only have a few nodes removed.
But it is very important to speak to your specialist nurse or surgeon if you think your arm or hand may be swollen. Topic Overview Whether you have a mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery lumpectomy for breast cancer , your doctors need to know whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. There are two ways for your doctor to check the lymph nodes under your arm. They are: Axillary lymph node dissection. During this surgery, some of the lymph nodes in the armpit are removed and checked for cancer cells.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy. This is a procedure in which tissue is removed from the lymph node closest to the cancer—the sentinel node SN or group of nodes—to help find out whether breast cancer has spread to this area.
If the lymph node biopsy results show cancer, more lymph nodes may be removed. Credits Current as of: December 17, Top of the page Next Section: Related Information.
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