Healing time

The wounds caused by the operation usually heal relatively quickly, so that the stitches can be removed on about the tenth day after the operation. Due to the smaller incisions in BET (breast-conserving therapy), healing can also be faster. Longer healing is possible in patients with wound healing disorders, for example due to diseases such as diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis and obesity, or by taking certain medications, such as immunosuppressive drugs (suppress the human immune system).

Differences if chemotherapy was done before or after surgery

Neoadjuvant means that chemotherapy is administered before surgery in special cases. This is the case in palliative situations, inoperable tumors or if it is already clear before the operation that chemotherapy is necessary. In inoperable situations, it is hoped that the chemotherapy will make the tumor smaller and therefore operable.

In the best case, a pre-treated tumor will shrink in size. This can even go so far that it is no longer visible in imaging. Nevertheless, it would still be operated on to ensure that the tumor is completely removed. In addition, the nature of the tumor may also change during surgery, so that it may no longer be clearly distinguishable as before.

What is the procedure for lymph node removal?

Nowadays not all lymph nodes of the armpit are removed, but only the so-called sentinel lymph nodes. These are the lymph nodes that are the first to be affected when the tumor spreads. Instead of 10-15 lymph nodes as was previously the case, this method only requires the removal of one to five lymph nodes.

Before the operation, the sentinel lymph nodes are marked with a radioactive substance that is injected into the tumor region. With the help of a special probe, the sentinel lymph nodes can then be identified during the operation, as they emit the strongest signal. The marking is also possible with a blue color, which can be seen with the naked eye in the lymph node during the operation.

First, the surrounding fatty tissue in the armpit is carefully removed and large vessels and nerves are exposed. This is to prevent them from being accidentally injured. The sentinel lymph nodes are removed from the armpit and pathologically examined (it is determined whether cells show pathological changes). If the sentinel lymph nodes are not affected by tumor cells, the remaining lymph nodes can remain in the body because the probability that the tumor has spread there is very low. If the sentinel lymph node is affected by tumor cells, at least 10 lymph nodes are taken from the armpit.