How many lymph nodes will be removed?
There is no set or recommended number of lymph nodes that should be removed. It depends on surgeon preference and each individual patient’s circumstances. Studies have shown the false negative rate drops when more than one node is removed. How accurate is SLN biopsy? Studies have shown SLN biopsy can identify the sentinel node 90% of the time, with a 7.5% false negative rate. SLN has shown an accuracy of 97%. What’s a false negative result? A false negative is when a medical test is determined to be ‘negative’ (i.e. no cancer) but the person being tested does have cancer. Watch a video about false negatives. What is a false positive result? A false positive is when a medical test mistakenly detects cancer when the person being tested does NOT have cancer. Watch a video about false positives.
