Lymph Node Test as a Cancer Diagnosis
Lymph nodes are a part of the lymphatic system and can be found throughout the human body acting as traps for foreign particles (such as germs and cancer cells). Visibly appearing as fluid-filled ducts, these lymph nodes play a significant role in the immune system because they carry white blood cells which regulate oxygen. When a person becomes sick with prostate or another type of cancer, the cancer can sometimes attack and spread into nearby lymph nodes. Laparoscopic lymph node dissection is performed in order to extract lymph nodes to see if they are cancerous or not. During this minimally invasive lymph node test as a cancer diagnosis, a physician makes several or more tiny incisions in the navel and then pumps air into the abdomen. The number of incisions is necessary for the procedure because in one incision, a laparoscope (a thin tube with a camera on the end) is inserted so that the physician can watch the procedure on a TV monitor while inserting instruments through the other incisions in order to remove the lymph nodes.