Lymphadenectomy
Lymphadenectomy, sometimes called lymph node dissection, is a surgical operation in which the lymph nodes are removed and a sample of tissue is examined under a microscope for the presence of malignancy. It's a procedure that's frequently done as part of the surgical treatment of cancerous tumors. Regional lymphadenectomy removes certain lymph nodes in the tumor area (inguinal, femoral, iliac, epitrochlear, cervical, popliteal, retroperitoneal, or axillary lymph node groups), while radical lymphadenectomy removes most or all of the lymph nodes in the tumor area. The presence of cancer cells in lymph nodes is linked to a higher chance of metastasis to other areas of the body and a worse prognosis.
The lymph node dissection site is determined by the place of involvement. Axillary lymph nodes (for breast cancer), inguinal lymph nodes (for penile, anal, and vulvar cancers), cervical lymph nodes (for head/neck malignancies and thyroid cancers), and retroperitoneal lymph nodes (for testicular and ovarian cancers) are the four most common dissection locations.