Less drastic surgery developed for cancer

LONDON, Jun 30, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- British scientists believe they have developed a surgical technique that can reduce the after-effects of breast-cancer operations.

Researchers tracked 298 breast cancer patients at three hospitals, the BBC reports. Half the patients had traditional surgery, with removal of most of the lymph glands under the arm. In the other half, doctors removed two or three glands close to the breast and tested them for cancer.

Women who had the second type of surgery were 70 percent less likely to experience swelling of the arm and 60 percent less likely to experience numbness, tingling and similar sensations.

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Doctors say that more research is necessary to determine if Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy is effective at determining if cancer has spread.