With every cancer diagnosis, Holy Name Medical Center oncologists use the latest advancements to determine if the disease has spread beyond the initial site where it was found. Often, depending on the type of cancer, physicians will look first at the lymph nodes, small structures throughout the body that filter harmful substances and help fight infection, to see if they have been invaded by cancer cells.
This standard practice, removing lymph nodes to examine them for cancer, is essential but may cause long-lasting side effects such as lymphedema, a condition that causes painful swelling. Now Holy Name oncologists have expertise in a procedure that reduces the number of lymph nodes needed to be taken out for some gynecological cancers, thereby potentially lessening the risk of developing lymphedema.
Sentinel node mapping, also known as sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNLB), is the process of identifying and removing only the primary lymph nodes where the cancer cells are most likely to have spread from the main tumor site. If the cancer has not spread to these sentinel or primary lymph nodes, then extracting additional ones is often not necessary.
Sentinel node mapping has long been used for breast cancer and melanoma but its use in cervical, vulva and endometrial (uterine) cancers is relatively new and requires physician training and practice. The oncologists at Holy Name are among the select physicians in the country who have expertise in performing this type of procedure.
At the time of surgery a dye is injected into the patient that travels through the lymph channels to the nodes. The dye colors the sentinel nodes and trained surgeons are able to find and remove them. These sentinel lymph nodes are then sent to an experienced pathologist to be examined for cancer.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy may help patients avoid a more extensive lymph node surgery, thereby reducing their risk of developing lymphedema, a painful tissue swelling that can occur when there is a large disruption of the normal flow of lymph fluid through the body. Performing sentinel node mapping can also help increase the accuracy of finding and removing the nodes most at risk of having cancer outside the primary tumor site, which may further inform physicians about the need for additional treatment after surgery.
The Patricia Lynch Cancer Center provides the most advanced care to every patient. Here are some of their stories.
After being diagnosed with some cancers, many people are relieved to hear a statistic saying few individuals ever get a recurrence. Cindy Cerone was one of those patients. The 59-year-old was told her vulva cancer, which...
Read Cindy's full storyThe news was terrifying - Jane Martinez was 29 years old, the mother of a young son and she had cervical cancer. She was told the disease was severe, requiring a radical hysterectomy, and she was...
Read Jane's full storyWhen Deyka Torres was told she had cancer, she was scared, really scared. Immediately, she had two thoughts, "Am I going to die from this? And if not, what do I have to do to get better? Deyka was 37 years old, a mother of three,...
Read Deyka's full storyLindita Peposhi had a weird pain on the right side of her abdomen. It wasn't sharp like appendicitis and it wasn't debilitating, but she wanted it checked. A doctor prescribed an antibiotic...
Read Lindita's full storyWhen Dana Calbi learned she had ovarian cancer, she immediately headed to one of the big academic hospitals in New York City. She was encouraged by the wealth of expertise it offered...
Read Dana's full storyThey are a close, extended family of sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles. They share vacations and holidays, burdens and joys. But they also have an expansive history of cancer: one sister had uterine cancer,...
Read Gannon's full storyLaura Mack was making ends meet by bartending after losing her banking job but she was eating all the wrong things at all the wrong times. She put 30 pounds on her athletic frame...
Read Laura's full storyIn the field of medicine, the most obvious diagnosis is often accurate – a sore throat is usually a respiratory illness, a mass on an ovary is likely to be ovarian cancer. But, as Suzanne Klausner found out, this...
Read Suzanne's full storyA cancer journey is never easy but Karen Riedel's was particularly arduous. Before things turned around, she was hospitalized for nearly two months and came close to dying. But Karen...
Read Karen's full storyAt 76, Cecilia Pappas has been through a lot – intense, challenging times that might have made others give up. She didn't, and now she's living a fulfilling life even though she has ovarian cancer, a disease...
Read Cecilia's full storyDarlene Smith knew something was wrong, probably something serious, but she didn't have medical insurance so she put off going to the doctor. Then fate intervened and took the timing right out of her hands...
Read Darlene's full storyDon't give up. Ever. Ms. Soon Kim believes it, lives it and shares the philosophy with those she meets facing a hard time. For nearly three years, Ms. Kim had been suffering with random, unexplainable pain. She had...
Read Soon's full storyAs people across the country learn to adapt to a new normal within the coronavirus pandemic, Donna...
Read Donna's full storyFew people travel a straight path when dealing with serious illnesses. There are almost always ups...
Read Theresa's full storyEvery cancer patient is unique and each journey evolves on different paths. But Jennifer Reeves’ story is
Read Jennifer's full storyIn the past, when Margaret Rovell saw friends or family members with cancer, she wondered what she would do if she ever developed the disease. Would she let nature take its course? “I’ve seen a lot of...
Read Margaret's full storyBreast cancer was rampant in Mary Jane Bisanzo's family – eight loved ones including her mother, brother, maternal uncle, aunts and cousins had all been diagnosed with the disease. Their doctors suggested...
Read Mary's full storyShe is used to zipping through the rooms in her home, the grocery store, her yard, wherever she is to get
Read Mattie's full storyFew people would consider a world-wide shutdown due to the COVID pandemic a good thing when it comes to a cancer diagnosis, but that’s exactly how Maureen Frazer sees it.
Read Maureen's full storyStandard chemotherapy fell short in treating Rebecka Hess’ ovarian cancer – the disease returned with a vengeance. Now, she’s receiving specialized medication through a clinical trial at...
Read Rebecka's full story