The technique of sentinel lymph node biopsy is coming to U.K. It is expected that an estimated 20,000 women a year will be spared unnecessary maxillary lymph node surgery because of this procedure. This would not only result pain and suffering on the part of women having breast cancer, but would also result in savings of millions of dollars for NHS.

This therapy of sentinel node biopsy is widely popular in the United States and is now being introduced in Britain. New research done by Robert Mansel, professor of surgery at Cardiff University, has shown that sentinel lymph node biopsy technique would cut recovery time to two days instead of the usual five days associated with axillary lymph node dissection and results in improved quality of life by reducing pain, swelling and other symptoms in the involved region. These findings appear in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Sentinel lymph node is the first lymph node in the system of lymphatic drainage of the part of breast that is involved with breast cancer. The first draining lymph node can be identified by various techniques including injection of a blue dye or radioactive material and can be surgically removed. The removed lymph nodes are then studied under microscope to determine if that lymph node is involved with breast cancer. If this lymph node is involved with breast cancer, surgeon will do a full exploration of the armpit area and will remove as a number of possible lymph nodes as possible. If the removed sentinel lymph node is not involved with cancer, no further exploration of the lymph nodes would be done.

Prof Mansel's study has observed that 92% of women undergoing the procedure had resumed normal activities after three months, compared with 86% operated with axillary lymph node dissection.

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