For women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, it’s very important to know if the cancer has spread beyond the breasts. Typically, breast cancer spreads first to the lymph nodes in the armpit.

In the past, doctors had to remove all or most of the lymph nodes to find out if the cancer had spread. Recent technology called nuclear breast scanning or breast lymphoscintigraphy helps doctors more precisely define the lymph nodes (sentinel nodes) that need to be removed.

Therefore, breast lymphoscintigraphy is used to evaluate lymph drainage in women with breast tumors and is also used to map the lymphatic system to locate lymph nodes for biopsy.

No special preparations are necessary. The test usual takes 30 minutes to one hour.

Nuclear breast scanning is safe and there are usually no side effects.

Before your nuclear breast scan, tell your doctor or technologist if there’s a chance you might be pregnant.

What happens during the exam?

You will lie on the exam table and receive injections of a radioactive isotope around the tumor site.

The technologist will begin taking images immediately and will mark the skin to show the location of the lymph nodes.

A biopsy or surgery will be scheduled to test or remove the sites identified during the scan.