What procedure is performed to remove a sentinel node for examination?

The procedure performed to remove a sentinel node for examination is an excisional biopsy. In the context of cancer treatment, particularly with breast cancer or melanoma, the sentinel lymph node is the first node that drains lymph fluid from the area surrounding a tumor. Identifying and removing this node helps determine if cancer cells have spread beyond the primary tumor.

During an excisional biopsy, the sentinel node is surgically removed in its entirety for pathological examination. This allows for a thorough evaluation of the node for the presence of cancer cells, which can influence treatment decisions and staging of the disease. The goal is to determine whether the cancer has metastasized, providing crucial information for the overall management of the patient.

Other procedures, such as an incisional biopsy, would involve removing a portion of the node rather than the whole, while a core needle biopsy uses a needle to extract tissue samples but would not provide an entire node for analysis. A frozen section is related to pathology and usually involves instant analysis during surgery but does not encompass the removal process itself. Thus, excisional biopsy is the appropriate procedure to ensure complete examination of the sentinel node.