Lymph nodes removal surgery

Lymph nodes removal surgery

Lymph node removal is a surgical procedure to take out one or more of your lymph nodes. Your doctor may recommend this procedure if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer.

There are two main reasons for removing lymph nodes. One or more lymph nodes may be removed to check whether your cancer has spread. Knowing this helps your doctor plan the best cancer treatment for you. And if tests have shown that the cancer has reached your lymph nodes, you may have them taken out to remove the cancer. This helps to reduce the chance that your cancer will come back.

We can only give a very general overview of removal of lymph nodes here. Your experience may vary depending on the type of cancer you have and your own individual circumstances.

Checking your lymph nodes

After being diagnosed with melanoma, you have tests to find out whether it has spread anywhere else in the body. This is called staging and helps your doctor decide on treatment.

Your doctor might find out that melanoma has spread to your lymph nodes after:

• a physical examination shows your lymph nodes feel abnormally large or hard
• a scan shows that your lymph nodes appear abnormal
• a sentinel node biopsy finds melanoma cells in your lymph nodes - this is when your lymph nodes look and feel normal, but the surgeon removes the first lymph node or nodes that a melanoma could have spread to to see if they contain cancer

If your lymph nodes look or feel abnormal

Your doctor usually takes a sample of tissue (biopsy) from lymph nodes that feel swollen (enlarged) or appear abnormal on a scan. If the biopsy shows melanoma in a node or nodes, they usually offer you an operation to remove all of the lymph nodes in that area.

If a sentinel node biopsy shows melanoma in your lymph nodes

This is called a positive sentinel node biopsy. You may have regular ultrasound scans to check your lymph nodes to see if the cancer grows (progresses). Or you might have treatment such as targeted cancer drugs or immunotherapy. You don’t usually have surgery to remove the rest of the lymph nodes after a positive sentinel lymph node biopsy.

What Is An Axillary Node Dissection?

This procedure is a method for determining if the cancer has spread to more than one of your lymph nodes. Axillary node dissection removes some of the the axillary lymph nodes, which are the lymph nodes located in the underarm. Once removed, they are dissected and examined.

Do the Lymph Nodes always need to be removed?

Not always, especially when there is no evidence of any cancer in the lymph system. A mastectomy or lumpectomy operation will most often include either a sentinel node biopsy or an axillary node dissection. Both procedures involve a separate incision for lumpectomy patients. Following surgery, the pathologist will test the lymph nodes to determine whether the cancer has spread past the breast.

Signs of lymphedema

Lymphedema can develop suddenly or gradually and can happen months or years after your surgery. Watch for signs of lymphedema, which include:

• A feeling of heaviness, aching, or pain in your breast, arm, hand, or fingers
• A tight feeling in the skin of your arm, hand, or breast
• Decreased flexibility in your arm, hand, or fingers
• Swelling or changes in your skin, such as tightness or pitting (skin that stays indented after being pressed). If you have swelling, you may notice that:
• The veins in the hand on your affected side are less noticeable than on the other hand.
• The rings on the finger(s) of your affected side are tighter or do not fit.
• The shirt sleeve on your affected side feels tighter than usual.

If you have any signs of lymphedema, or you’re not sure, talk with your doctor or nurse. If you don’t have signs of lymphedema, you can have your blood pressure measured on your affected side.

What to expect

Recovery depends on the extent of the surgery and the site where the lymph nodes were removed.

Risks

Surgery to remove lymph nodes can cause many side effects. The risks of lymphadenectomy include:

• Buildup of fluid at the site of surgery (seroma).
•  
• Swelling of a limb affected by removal of the lymph nodes (lymphedema).
• Numbness, tingling, or pain in the surgical area.
• Breakdown (sloughing) of skin over the area.