› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Sentinel lymph node biopsy
- This topic has 45 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by
scpage.
- Post
-
- May 15, 2016 at 4:41 pm
Newly diagnosed with malignant melanoma by my dermatologist. She has indicated that I need this Sentinenal lymph node biopsy. My question to all of you is….does this have to be done right away….or can I delay it for a few months? Is this biopsy done as part of excision of the malignancy?
Any advice is greatly appreciated?
- Replies
-
-
- May 15, 2016 at 5:36 pm
Ouch, welcome to the club that no one wants to be a member of. Others can chime in, but personally I would say the SLNB is standard procedure, and done at the same time as the wide excision of the primary site. Mine was done under full anesthesia. The results provide the crucial staging information, that determines future treatment options. Delaying this important step may or may not ultimately effect a persons overall status, but not knowing is something that likely will cause even more anxiety, and could lead to poor choices in the future. Like they say, just do it. Best wishes to you on the journey to NED.
Gary
-
- May 15, 2016 at 5:36 pm
Ouch, welcome to the club that no one wants to be a member of. Others can chime in, but personally I would say the SLNB is standard procedure, and done at the same time as the wide excision of the primary site. Mine was done under full anesthesia. The results provide the crucial staging information, that determines future treatment options. Delaying this important step may or may not ultimately effect a persons overall status, but not knowing is something that likely will cause even more anxiety, and could lead to poor choices in the future. Like they say, just do it. Best wishes to you on the journey to NED.
Gary
-
- May 15, 2016 at 8:08 pm
Hi Stan,
I saw in your profile, and your primary is on your back. They test for the drainage Janner mentioned and locate the correct lymph nodes to biopsy. I only know about the axilla (armpit) where mine was draining. The recovery from surgery was (at least for me) a piece of cake, and I never even took an aspirin for pain. Point is, do what you now know you need to do to get proper staging. Then expect quick recovery and get on with your Summer, while planning next steps in treatment. There's great advice on this board, but one thing to remember is to keep on living.
Gary
-
- May 15, 2016 at 8:08 pm
Hi Stan,
I saw in your profile, and your primary is on your back. They test for the drainage Janner mentioned and locate the correct lymph nodes to biopsy. I only know about the axilla (armpit) where mine was draining. The recovery from surgery was (at least for me) a piece of cake, and I never even took an aspirin for pain. Point is, do what you now know you need to do to get proper staging. Then expect quick recovery and get on with your Summer, while planning next steps in treatment. There's great advice on this board, but one thing to remember is to keep on living.
Gary
-
- May 15, 2016 at 10:09 pm
Again I thank you Gary for your kind words. There are so many unknowns for me at this point, and my type A personality struggles with that! I need to trust in God's plan, and continue living my life. I'm finding some great support on this board already, so that will make this journey a little less lonely.
Stan
-
- May 15, 2016 at 10:09 pm
Again I thank you Gary for your kind words. There are so many unknowns for me at this point, and my type A personality struggles with that! I need to trust in God's plan, and continue living my life. I'm finding some great support on this board already, so that will make this journey a little less lonely.
Stan
-
- May 15, 2016 at 10:09 pm
Again I thank you Gary for your kind words. There are so many unknowns for me at this point, and my type A personality struggles with that! I need to trust in God's plan, and continue living my life. I'm finding some great support on this board already, so that will make this journey a little less lonely.
Stan
-
- May 15, 2016 at 8:08 pm
Hi Stan,
I saw in your profile, and your primary is on your back. They test for the drainage Janner mentioned and locate the correct lymph nodes to biopsy. I only know about the axilla (armpit) where mine was draining. The recovery from surgery was (at least for me) a piece of cake, and I never even took an aspirin for pain. Point is, do what you now know you need to do to get proper staging. Then expect quick recovery and get on with your Summer, while planning next steps in treatment. There's great advice on this board, but one thing to remember is to keep on living.
Gary
-
- May 15, 2016 at 5:36 pm
Ouch, welcome to the club that no one wants to be a member of. Others can chime in, but personally I would say the SLNB is standard procedure, and done at the same time as the wide excision of the primary site. Mine was done under full anesthesia. The results provide the crucial staging information, that determines future treatment options. Delaying this important step may or may not ultimately effect a persons overall status, but not knowing is something that likely will cause even more anxiety, and could lead to poor choices in the future. Like they say, just do it. Best wishes to you on the journey to NED.
Gary
-
- May 15, 2016 at 5:37 pm
It is done in order to furthur stage you. Your primary tumor was of a thickness that indicated a SLNB is needed to see if the melanoma has metastisized to your lymph nodes. You could wait a couple weeks, but I don't know about months. You want to know now what stage you're at so you know your options as far as treatment and all of that. If it is found in your lymph nodes you will be stage 3. They will also do a full body scan to see if it is in any distant organs. If it is in distant organs, then you'd be stage 4. These are important factors to know and I would not delay for long.
All the best,
-
- May 15, 2016 at 5:37 pm
It is done in order to furthur stage you. Your primary tumor was of a thickness that indicated a SLNB is needed to see if the melanoma has metastisized to your lymph nodes. You could wait a couple weeks, but I don't know about months. You want to know now what stage you're at so you know your options as far as treatment and all of that. If it is found in your lymph nodes you will be stage 3. They will also do a full body scan to see if it is in any distant organs. If it is in distant organs, then you'd be stage 4. These are important factors to know and I would not delay for long.
All the best,
-
- May 15, 2016 at 5:37 pm
It is done in order to furthur stage you. Your primary tumor was of a thickness that indicated a SLNB is needed to see if the melanoma has metastisized to your lymph nodes. You could wait a couple weeks, but I don't know about months. You want to know now what stage you're at so you know your options as far as treatment and all of that. If it is found in your lymph nodes you will be stage 3. They will also do a full body scan to see if it is in any distant organs. If it is in distant organs, then you'd be stage 4. These are important factors to know and I would not delay for long.
All the best,
-
- May 15, 2016 at 7:15 pm
The Sentinel Lymph Node biopsy has to be done BEFORE the wide excision. If not, the results may be compromised. The SNB checks drainage from the primary site to your lymph nodes and removing a large chunk of skin (as will be done with the wide local excision) can alter the drainage paths making the results inconclusive. If the node is positive, it is positive. But if it is negative, you won't know that it is negative because nothing has spread or they have sampled the wrong node.
Timing. You can read a study done on the timing issue here:
http://www.biomedsearch.com/nih/time-from-diagnostic-excision-biopsy/12100184.html
-
- May 15, 2016 at 7:15 pm
The Sentinel Lymph Node biopsy has to be done BEFORE the wide excision. If not, the results may be compromised. The SNB checks drainage from the primary site to your lymph nodes and removing a large chunk of skin (as will be done with the wide local excision) can alter the drainage paths making the results inconclusive. If the node is positive, it is positive. But if it is negative, you won't know that it is negative because nothing has spread or they have sampled the wrong node.
Timing. You can read a study done on the timing issue here:
http://www.biomedsearch.com/nih/time-from-diagnostic-excision-biopsy/12100184.html
-
- May 16, 2016 at 2:40 am
Interesting research, I had also wondered about that. My mole removal had been mid December, follow up late December when I was told I'd need LWE and SLNB. I was travelling to New York in early February to see my son sing at Carnegie hall so was determined to do that prior to any further surgery. Got everything done 21st feb, NED thankfully but have had just about every complication of recovery since then. Glad to say back on my feet and healing well now but it's been a strange ride.
All the best, this forum is great for support and information.
-
- May 16, 2016 at 2:40 am
Interesting research, I had also wondered about that. My mole removal had been mid December, follow up late December when I was told I'd need LWE and SLNB. I was travelling to New York in early February to see my son sing at Carnegie hall so was determined to do that prior to any further surgery. Got everything done 21st feb, NED thankfully but have had just about every complication of recovery since then. Glad to say back on my feet and healing well now but it's been a strange ride.
All the best, this forum is great for support and information.
-
- May 16, 2016 at 2:40 am
Interesting research, I had also wondered about that. My mole removal had been mid December, follow up late December when I was told I'd need LWE and SLNB. I was travelling to New York in early February to see my son sing at Carnegie hall so was determined to do that prior to any further surgery. Got everything done 21st feb, NED thankfully but have had just about every complication of recovery since then. Glad to say back on my feet and healing well now but it's been a strange ride.
All the best, this forum is great for support and information.
-
- May 15, 2016 at 7:15 pm
The Sentinel Lymph Node biopsy has to be done BEFORE the wide excision. If not, the results may be compromised. The SNB checks drainage from the primary site to your lymph nodes and removing a large chunk of skin (as will be done with the wide local excision) can alter the drainage paths making the results inconclusive. If the node is positive, it is positive. But if it is negative, you won't know that it is negative because nothing has spread or they have sampled the wrong node.
Timing. You can read a study done on the timing issue here:
http://www.biomedsearch.com/nih/time-from-diagnostic-excision-biopsy/12100184.html
-
- May 15, 2016 at 7:51 pm
I was just diagnosed by dermatolgist on 5/10/16 and will see the oncologist for the first time on 5/17/16. It looks like we're going to be going through this thing together so, if you'd like to "buddy up", maybe we can hold each others hands.
-
- May 15, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Absolutely!!! I would welcome the opportunity to share this journey with someone. I'm seeing the surgical oncologist for the first time on 5/26. Please keep me posted on the results of your visit on Tuesday. I have faith that we can get through this.
Stan
-
- May 15, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Absolutely!!! I would welcome the opportunity to share this journey with someone. I'm seeing the surgical oncologist for the first time on 5/26. Please keep me posted on the results of your visit on Tuesday. I have faith that we can get through this.
Stan
-
- May 16, 2016 at 9:54 am
I will do some research to see if we can create that separate blog. In the meantime, if you want to communicate with me, please feel free to email me at. [email protected]. Good luck this week!!
-
- May 16, 2016 at 9:54 am
I will do some research to see if we can create that separate blog. In the meantime, if you want to communicate with me, please feel free to email me at. [email protected]. Good luck this week!!
-
- May 16, 2016 at 9:54 am
I will do some research to see if we can create that separate blog. In the meantime, if you want to communicate with me, please feel free to email me at. [email protected]. Good luck this week!!
-
- May 15, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Absolutely!!! I would welcome the opportunity to share this journey with someone. I'm seeing the surgical oncologist for the first time on 5/26. Please keep me posted on the results of your visit on Tuesday. I have faith that we can get through this.
Stan
-
- May 16, 2016 at 3:43 am
Hi Stan- We have the same dermatologist! I am going to U of M tomorrow for a neck dissection on Tuesday. I think you will love the Melanoma Clinic there. They are terrific. My melanoma was on my neck and of a thickness that did not indicate a SLNB was needed, just a WLE. However, within 3 months I had a swollen node in my neck that was biopsied and positive. So I would concur with the others here, go get your SLNB done so that you can have the information. Hopefully it will be negative and you can carry on with your plans, but if it is positive you need to know so that you can take care of it.
All the best to you.
-
- May 16, 2016 at 3:43 am
Hi Stan- We have the same dermatologist! I am going to U of M tomorrow for a neck dissection on Tuesday. I think you will love the Melanoma Clinic there. They are terrific. My melanoma was on my neck and of a thickness that did not indicate a SLNB was needed, just a WLE. However, within 3 months I had a swollen node in my neck that was biopsied and positive. So I would concur with the others here, go get your SLNB done so that you can have the information. Hopefully it will be negative and you can carry on with your plans, but if it is positive you need to know so that you can take care of it.
All the best to you.
-
- May 16, 2016 at 3:43 am
Hi Stan- We have the same dermatologist! I am going to U of M tomorrow for a neck dissection on Tuesday. I think you will love the Melanoma Clinic there. They are terrific. My melanoma was on my neck and of a thickness that did not indicate a SLNB was needed, just a WLE. However, within 3 months I had a swollen node in my neck that was biopsied and positive. So I would concur with the others here, go get your SLNB done so that you can have the information. Hopefully it will be negative and you can carry on with your plans, but if it is positive you need to know so that you can take care of it.
All the best to you.
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.