© 2005-2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). All rights reserved worldwide.
To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) asks its medical experts to develop evidence-based recommendations for the use of sentinel lymph node biopsy for early-stage breast cancer. This guide for patients is based on ASCO's recommendations.
Key Messages:
- A sentinel lymph node biopsy is a procedure that helps the doctor know whether breast cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
- An axillary lymph node dissection may also be needed to understand how the cancer has spread.
- Talk with your doctor about what kind of procedure is recommended to diagnose cancer and what the results will mean.