lymphadenectomy
Meaning of lymphadenectomy: Taking out lymph nodes to learn whether cancer has reached them, an operation now used far more sparingly than it once was.
Definition of lymphadenectomy
A lymphadenectomy is an operation to remove lymph nodes, the small filtering stations set along the lymphatic vessels. The nodes are then examined under a microscope for cancer cells that have traveled there from a nearby tumor. The result determines the stage and guides further treatment, and removing involved nodes also reduces the amount of disease left behind.
How lymphadenectomy is built
- lymph/o Combining form · Latin lymph, lymphatic tissue
- aden/o Combining form · Greek gland
- -ectomy Suffix · Greek surgical removal, excision
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
What are the types?
| Type | What is removed |
|---|---|
| Sentinel node biopsy | Only the first one or two nodes that drain the tumor |
| Regional or selective | The group of nodes in the area of the tumor |
| Radical | All nodes in the region, often with surrounding fat and tissue |
| Extended | Additional groups beyond the usual field |
Why is less surgery done now?
Because the first node reached by lymph from a tumor predicts the rest. Dye or a radioactive tracer injected near the tumor travels the same route the cancer cells would, marking the sentinel node so it alone can be removed. If it holds no tumor, the remaining nodes almost never do, and a full clearance is avoided. Trials have gone further and shown that in some cancers, leaving involved nodes in place and treating them with radiation or drug therapy gives comparable results with less lasting harm. As a result axillary lymph node dissection is now performed for a much narrower group than in the past.
What are the consequences?
Lymph drains through these channels, and removing them leaves fluid with nowhere to go. Lymphedema, persistent swelling of the limb on that side, is the most significant long-term problem, and it becomes difficult to reverse once established. Fluid can also collect in the wound as a seroma. Small sensory nerves crossing the field are divided, so numbness in a patch of skin is usual, and stiffness of the nearby joint is common. A swollen limb is more prone to skin infection.
Where is it done?
In the armpit for breast cancer and melanoma, the groin for tumors of the leg and genital region, the neck for head and neck cancers, the pelvis for prostate, bladder and gynecologic cancer, and the abdomen for stomach and bowel cancer. The term lymph node dissection means the same thing, and either may be described by the region involved. What is sampled is the lymph node itself, not merely fluid.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
An axillary lymphadenectomy was performed after the sentinel node was found to contain tumor.
Good to know
Lymphedema after node removal is usually permanent once it has developed, and the risk rises with the number of nodes taken and with radiation given to the same area.
Word origin
Where “lymphadenectomy” comes from
Built from the Latin lympha, meaning clear water, the Greek aden, meaning gland, and ektome, meaning excision.