[Progress in Lymphangiogenesis and Lymphatic Metastasis of Thyroid Carcinoma]

Thyroid carcinoma is a common endocrine malignancy,with most cases being indolent.Lymphatic metastasis as a representative metastasis type defines the clinical stage and prognosis of thyroid carcinoma.The mechanism of lymphatic metastasis in malignancies has been a research hotspot for years,and certain progress being achieved.This article reviews the molecular markers of lymphatic vessels and their application in diagnosis and treatment of neoplasms,the mechanism and role of lymphangiogenesis in lymphatic metastasis,the tracing methods for sentinel lymph nodes by lymphatic drainage,and the use of ultrasound in cervical lymph node metastasis of thyroid carcinoma.Especially,this paper details the application of conventional ultrasound,transvenous contrast-enhanced ultrasound,and trans-lymphatic contrast-enhanced ultrasound in cervical lymph node metastasis of thyroid carcinoma.