In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, we will be posting daily informative videos presented association with Beth Israel Medical Center and Dr. Susan K. Boolbol for our series "31 Days of Breast Cancer Discovery". Each day, Dr. Boolbol, who is the Chief of Breast Cancer Surgery at the medical center, will talk about breast cancer and share tips on to how to reduce the risk and what steps should be taken if you are diagnosed with it. 

On Day 30, Dr. Susan K. Boolbol explains lymph node biopsies.  After a woman is diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, you need to examine her lymph nodes to see if the cancer spread to them. This will affect the stage of cancer classified and the treatment the woman will receive. The lymph nodes are tested after sticking a needle in the breast and then examining them. Enlarged nymph nodes can also be found on mammograms or sonograms. If the cancer is not found before the operation, a sentinel lymph node biopsy is performed to see if they have to be removed. Radiation, chemotherapy and hormone treatment may be other options for treatment if the lymph nodes do not need to be removed.

For  information, contact the Beth Israel Medical Center at 212-884-6231 or visit them online at http://www.wehealny.org.