I think it would be more accurate to say that after SLNB your risk of lymphedema is lower. Even to say it's "very low". But probably not zero.
If you google "sentinel lymph node biopsy lymphedema", you'll see many discussions of this. Here's a copy/paste from part of an article at breastcancer.org:
"If you’ve had lymph node surgery and/or radiation therapy, you’re considered to be at some risk for lymphedema. How high your risk is depends on whether you have any other risk factors for the condition, outlined below. Some lymphedema risk factors are under your control and others aren’t — but knowing about them can help you gauge your risk level. You can talk about your situation with a physician, nurse, or therapist who specializes in breast cancer recovery and lymphedema management.
If there’s every reason to believe you are low risk, that’s good news! But it also doesn’t mean you are “zero risk.” You’ll still want to take precautions for
avoiding lymphedema and get help quickly if you notice any
signs or symptoms. If you have multiple risk factors, these actions become even more critical.
“In the treatment community, we’re talking more about the importance of developing a risk profile for every patient,” says Nicole Stout, MPT, CLT-LANA, Senior Rehabilitative Services Practice Leader at Kaiser Permanente, Mid Atlantic Region. “We must identify women at high risk and monitor them a little more closely for signs and symptoms and complications of lymphedema. But we also have to realize there will always be those ‘outliers’ who appear to be low risk but still develop lymphedema.”
Risk factors for lymphedema include:
- Having more lymph nodes removed: Research shows that having more underarm lymph nodes removed increases lymphedema risk. Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), the procedure that removes many or most of the nodes (typically anywhere from 5 to 30), is associated with higher risk than sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).
According to the National Cancer Institute, anywhere from 5-17% of women who have SLNB develop lymphedema. Among women who have ALND, the percentage is higher — from 20-53% — and risk increases with the number of nodes taken out. Whether you had SLNB or ALND, be sure to ask your surgeon how many lymph nodes you had removed, as this varies from person to person."
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