The sentinel lymph node is the hypothetical first lymph node or group of nodes draining a cancer. In case of established cancerous dissemination it is postulated that the sentinel lymph node/s is/are the target organs primarily reached by metastasizing cancer cells from the tumor. Thus, sentinel lymph nodes can be totally void of cancer, due to the fact that they were detected prior to dissemination.
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Famous quotes containing the word sentinel:
“And the sentinel stars set their watch in the sky;”
—Thomas Campbell (1774–1844)