Abstract
Cancer spreads locally through direct infiltration into soft tissues, or at a distance
by invading vascular structures, then migrating through the lymphatic or blood flow.
Although cancer cells carried in the blood can end in virtually any corner of the
body, lymphatic migration is usually stepwise, through successive nodal stops, which
can temporarily delay further progression. In radiotherapy, irradiation of lymphatic
paths relevant to the localization of the primary has been common practice for decades.
Similarly, excision of cancer is often completed by lymphatic dissection.
Both in radiotherapy and in surgery, advanced knowledge of the lymphatic pathways
relevant to any tumor location is an important information for treatment preparation
and execution. The third part of these series describes the lymphatics of the pelvis
and the lower limb. It Provides anatomical bases for the radiological delineation
of lymph nodes areas in the pelvic cavity and in the groin. It also offers the first
original classification for labeling the intrapelvic nodes, grouped in seven paired
volumes (called levels I–VII), functionally linked with one another and lower abdominal
levels by eight potential drainage pathways.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 17, 2008
Accepted:
November 4,
2008
Received:
September 25,
2008
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
