31/03/2026
๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ง๐๐จ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐.
SAN PEDRO Hospital of Davao City, Inc. has successfully performed its first Dual-Tracer Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy, marking a meaningful milestone in advancing cancer care in Mindanao.
This achievement highlights the collaboration between the San Pedro Hospital - Nuclear Medicine team headed by Dr. Stephanie Estrada-Garcia and the Surgical Oncology team led by Dr. Lydcelle Ann Encarnacion-Rongo, Breast Surgeon. It is a multidisciplinary effort that brings more precise and modern cancer care closer to home.
A sentinel node biopsy helps identify the first lymph node most likely to be affected by cancer spread. The addition of the radiotracer allows the sentinel node to be identified before surgery and can help localize the target node more accurately, improve planning, and support a more precise assessment of disease spread. In selected cases, this may also help avoid more extensive lymph node surgery and its added risks.
For patients, this can mean better staging, more informed treatment decisions, less invasive surgery in appropriate cases, and the potential for better recovery and more breast-conserving treatment planning when appropriate. It may also help reduce the need for wider axillary surgery in selected patients, which can help lower the risk of problems such as arm swelling.
We also extend our sincere thanks to the Anesthesia team, Operating Room staff, Histopathology team, and all the other teams and personnel whose work helped make this possible. We are especially grateful to the patient and her support system, particularly her family, for their kindness, trust, and support throughout the process, and for allowing us to share a part of this journey.
Milestones like this remind us that progress in medicine is built through teamwork, training, trust, and a shared commitment to better patient care.
๐ Doc Steph Patient Inquiry: 0995 208 8268
๐ SPH Nuclear Medicine Department: (0956) 714 8873
Advanced care, closer to home.
Photo Credits: Juztine Jayne
