[Lymphoscintigraphy in oncology--the role in the preoperative diagnosis]

Lymphoscintigraphy is the nuclear medicine procedure, which visualize the distribution of radiolabelled particles in the lymph vessels and lymph nodes. The sentinel node concept presumes that the first lymph node to receive drainage from a tumour will show the metastasis if there has been lymphatic tumour spread. Detection of metastatic involvement of lymph nodes is essential for management and prognostic evaluation in cancer patients. Sentinel lymph node biopsy, radioguided intraoperative lymph node detection widely increased the role of lymphatic mapping in oncology. This article provides a brief history of the sentinel lymph node concept, discusses radiopharmaceuticals, equipment and techniques in lymphatic mapping mainly in melanoma and breast cancer.