termsTerm
Lymphovascular invasion (LVI)
aka LVI, lymphovascular, vascular invasion, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, extramural venous invasion, EMVI
The pathologist has seen cancer cells inside small lymph or blood vessels in the removed tissue: a sign the tumour has found the exit routes, even if the nodes are clear.
Reported in most resection specimens, LVI raises the risk of node metastases and recurrence and is a criterion for adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II colon cancer, for surgery rather than endoscopic resection in early gastric and oesophageal cancer, for adjuvant therapy in stage I testicular cancer, and for cystectomy in bladder cancer. Extramural venous invasion (EMVI) on MRI is a high-risk feature in rectal cancer. It is one of several 'high-risk features' alongside grade, perineural invasion and positive margins.
Category
Pathology & biomarkers