Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Overview: Biology Is the Foundation of Therapy
- PART I BASIC RESEARCH
- PART II CLINICAL RESEARCH
- 23 Introduction to Clinical Research
- 24 Sarcoma
- 25 Neuroblastoma
- 26 Retinoblastoma
- 27 Primary Brain Tumors and Cerebral Metastases
- 28 Head and Neck Cancer Metastasis
- 29 Cutaneous Melanoma: Therapeutic Approaches for Metastatic Disease
- 30 Gastric Cancer Metastasis
- 31 Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
- 32 Metastasis of Primary Liver Cancer
- 33 Advances in Management of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
- 34 Lung Cancer Metastasis
- 35 Metastatic Thyroid Cancer: Evaluation and Treatment
- 36 Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
- 37 Bladder Cancer
- 38 Bone Complications of Myeloma and Lymphoma
- 39 Breast Metastasis
- 40 Gynecologic Malignancies
- 41 Prostate Cancer Metastasis: Thoughts on Biology and Therapeutics
- 42 The Biology and Treatment of Metastatic Testicular Cancer
- 43 Applications of Proteomics to Metastasis Diagnosis and Individualized Therapy
- 44 Critical Issues of Research on Circulating and Disseminated Tumor Cells in Cancer Patients
- 45 Lymphatic Mapping and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
- 46 Molecular Imaging and Metastasis
- 47 Preserving Bone Health in Malignancy and Complications of Bone Metastases
- 48 Role of Platelets and Thrombin in Metastasis
- THERAPIES
- Index
- References
45 - Lymphatic Mapping and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
from PART II - CLINICAL RESEARCH
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Overview: Biology Is the Foundation of Therapy
- PART I BASIC RESEARCH
- PART II CLINICAL RESEARCH
- 23 Introduction to Clinical Research
- 24 Sarcoma
- 25 Neuroblastoma
- 26 Retinoblastoma
- 27 Primary Brain Tumors and Cerebral Metastases
- 28 Head and Neck Cancer Metastasis
- 29 Cutaneous Melanoma: Therapeutic Approaches for Metastatic Disease
- 30 Gastric Cancer Metastasis
- 31 Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
- 32 Metastasis of Primary Liver Cancer
- 33 Advances in Management of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
- 34 Lung Cancer Metastasis
- 35 Metastatic Thyroid Cancer: Evaluation and Treatment
- 36 Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
- 37 Bladder Cancer
- 38 Bone Complications of Myeloma and Lymphoma
- 39 Breast Metastasis
- 40 Gynecologic Malignancies
- 41 Prostate Cancer Metastasis: Thoughts on Biology and Therapeutics
- 42 The Biology and Treatment of Metastatic Testicular Cancer
- 43 Applications of Proteomics to Metastasis Diagnosis and Individualized Therapy
- 44 Critical Issues of Research on Circulating and Disseminated Tumor Cells in Cancer Patients
- 45 Lymphatic Mapping and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
- 46 Molecular Imaging and Metastasis
- 47 Preserving Bone Health in Malignancy and Complications of Bone Metastases
- 48 Role of Platelets and Thrombin in Metastasis
- THERAPIES
- Index
- References
Summary
Primary tumor cells can metastasize to local, regional, and distant sites through four main mechanisms: direct invasion, lymphatic spread, hematogenous spread, and celomic spread. In most solid tumors, the initial form of tumor spread is lymphatic metastasis to regional lymph nodes.
In many types of cancer, the presence of regional lymph node metastasis is one of the most important predictors of recurrence and survival. Consequently, the presence of regional lymph node metastasis often leads to recommendations for additional treatment, such as more extensive lymph node surgery, radiation therapy, and/or systemic therapy (i.e., chemotherapy, biological therapy, or targeted therapy). Given the clinical relevance of regional lymph node metastasis in many types of cancer, evaluation of the regional lymph nodes is an essential component of the staging of those cancers.
In this chapter, we provide an overview of the importance of the lymphatic system in tumor metastasis, explain the concept of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) as it relates to cancer patients, describe and illustrate how SLNs are identified and assessed in clinical practice, and provide clinically salient examples of the impact of SLN metastasis on recurrence and prognosis.
THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
The lymphatic system in humans has three major interrelated functions: (1) transport of interstitial fluid to the lymphoid tissue; (2) absorption of fatty acids and their transport as chyle to the circulatory system; and (3) transport of antigen-presenting cells, such as dendritic cells, to lymph nodes for activation of the immune system.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Cancer MetastasisBiologic Basis and Therapeutics, pp. 501 - 515Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011