Sentinel Lymph Nodes

What are lymph nodes?

Lymph nodes are small nodes located in several places in the body, such as the armpit, neck, and pubic area, and these glands are found in large numbers in these areas.

Its primary function is related to immunity; It is very important in detecting foreign bodies in the body, such as bacteria and viruses, and helps eliminate them.

What are the sentinel (lymph) glands?

The sentinel gland is the first lymph node that the tumor reaches, and it may be more than one gland. That is, this gland is the first stage of tumor transmission. If the tumor has not reached the guard gland, it will not reach any other gland, and if the tumor reaches it, it may spread to other glands. Therefore, it is important to be examined to confirm the spread of the tumor.

In other words, we can say that the sentinel gland confirms whether the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes or not yet.

How are the guard glands examined?

The sentinel gland is usually examined during surgery; The surgeon injects a colored substance or nuclear material around the area of ​​the original tumor, then examines the area of ​​the lymph nodes to find out which gland the injected colored substance reached, and this gland (or glands) is the guard gland. It is removed and sent to the laboratory to be examined to confirm the presence of a tumor.