termsTerm
Lymphadenectomy (lymph node dissection)
aka lymph node dissection, nodal dissection, axillary dissection, axillary lymph node dissection, neck dissection, D2 lymphadenectomy, D2 dissection, pelvic lymph node dissection, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, mediastinal node dissection, lymph node sampling
Surgically removing the lymph nodes that drain a tumour, both to stage the cancer and to clear any spread.
The extent is organ-specific: D2 gastrectomy removes perigastric and regional nodes; axillary dissection clears levels I-II for breast cancer; neck dissection is graded by levels for head and neck cancer; retroperitoneal dissection is used in testicular cancer. It improves staging accuracy (and so adjuvant decisions) and sometimes cure, at the cost of lymphoedema, nerve injury and longer surgery. Sentinel node biopsy has replaced it wherever a negative sentinel node is reliable.
Category
Procedures