Lymphoscintigraphy involves injecting radioactive particles around the site of a primary cancer, followed by imaging, in order to track its lymphatic drainage. In this way, a biopsy can be taken of the sentinel lymph node, or the 1st lymph node along the drainage pathway, to assess for metastatic disease.
The information from the lymphoscintigraphy helps surgeons in planning and performing a more targeted surgical procedure, such as sentinel lymph node biopsy. This biopsy helps determine whether cancer has spread to these nodes, which can influence treatment decisions.
