SLNB (Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy): Surgical procedure to identify and remove the first lymph node(s) that drain a tumor (sentinel node) to check for cancer spread.
- Indications:
- Pharmacist relevance:
- Less invasive than full lymph node dissection → lower risk of lymphedema.
- Pathology results guide adjuvant therapy decisions (chemo, endocrine, targeted therapy).
Key point: SLNB = minimally invasive nodal staging, critical for treatment planning and prognosis.