Paula's grandfather is diagnosed as having lung cancer. His physician orders biopsies of several lymph nodes from neighboring regions of the body, and Paula wonders why, since the cancer is in his lungs. What would you tell her?

What will be an ideal response?


A key characteristic of cancer cells is their ability to break free of a tumor and migrate to other tissues of the body,
forming new tumors. This process is called metastasis. The primary route for the spread of cancer cells is the
lymphoid system, and cancer cells may remain in a lymph node for a period of time before moving to other tissues.
Examination of regional lymph nodes for the presence of cancer cells can help the physician determine if the cancer
was caught in an early stage, or whether it has started to spread to other tissues. It can also give the physician an
idea of what other tissues may be affected by the cancer, which would help to decide upon proper treatment for the
patient.

Anatomy & Physiology

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