PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Lymph node”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources

Functional anatomy of lymph nodes. II. Peripheral lymph-borne mononuclear cells.

In the rabbit a number of large mononuclear cells with ruffled surface membranes travel from the skin and superficial tissues of the leg, via the lymphatics, to the popliteal lymph node: they constitute 40-50% of the total cell population in the afferent lymph. About 10% of these cells are actively phagocytic when tested in vitro and about 3% are found to contain Langerhans granules. After isotopic labelling the majority of lymph-borne mononuclear cells can be detected within the regional node for at least 24 hours; most being located in the paracortex and a few in the interfollicular cortex. It is proposed that these cells, including those containing Langerhans granules, belong to the "mononuclear phagocyte system." Possible functions of these lymph-borne cells are discussed with particular reference to antigen transport.

Adenosine↗

Breast cancer and regional lymph node dissections.

Regional lymph node metastases were evaluated in 289 patients with operable breast cancer. The metastases of the axillary and internal mammary lymph node were shown to be closely related to the survival of patients, but the status of these nodes was shown to be impossible to estimate before the operation. Thus, axillary and internal mammary node dissections seem to be very important in order to attain an acceptable amount of information for staging of certain breast cancer patients. Due to the radicality of operations including internal mammary node dissection, the use of modified extended mastectomy is proposed as the staging operation. In this manner, the anterior chest deformity created by an extended radical mastectomy can be avoided and the pectoralis major muscle spared in patients without internal mammary lymph node involvement. Also found in this study, was some evidence of the beneficial use of en bloc extended radical mastectomy for the survival of a selected group of patients.

Adult↗

What can we learn from the phenomenon of preferential lymph node metastasis in carcinoma?

Lymph nodes are the most common and earliest site of malignancies arising in epithelia. However, the reason for this pattern of preferential metastasis is not clear. This article reviews features of the metastatic process and lymph node microenvironment which might potentiate lymph node metastases. There is intriguing evidence that preferential lymph node metastasis is due to (1) the efficiency of lymph nodes as filters of the tumor cells which arrive there, and (2) the probability that adhesive interactions, normally governing the generation of different T-cell immune responses, are responsible for this efficiency and may also promote invasion and proliferation of tumor cells in the lymph node. Manipulation of the cytokine environment in a lymph node draining a primary epithelial tumor may alter both the expression of cell adhesion molecules within the node and the subsequent metastatic ability of the tumor cells arriving at it.

Carcinoma↗

Superficial lymph node infarction.

Superficial lymph node necrosis is an unusual pathologic diagnosis encountered in clinical practice. When seen it is usually indicative of involvement of the affected lymph nodes with either metastatic cancer or lymphoma. Occasionally it has been associated with hypersensitivity phenomena with arteriolar involvement. The underlying etiology in all of these instances is extensive occlusion of the rich vascular supply to the node. Rarely cases are seen where no clear-cut etiology can be found. Ten such cases have been reported in the medical literature including the case published in this report. Its occurrence, however, may be more common than previously recognized. Preoperatively it is usually not possible to distinguish this entity from the other diagnoses for which it is generally mistaken. These other diagnoses most commonly include femoral hernia and mass in the axillary tail of the breast. The patient reported here is unusual in regard to the size of the lesion encountered. In other published reports very few lymph nodes were involved. In this case extensive involvement of a large mass of nodes was noted. Once the diagnosis is made limited work-up as well as further close observation is important since it may herald the occurrence of a lymphoproliferative disorder.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

The in vitro differentiation of mast cells. Cultures of cells from immunized mouse lymph nodes and thoracic duct lymph on fibroblast monolayers.

When cells from lymph nodes or thoracic duct of mice hyperimmunized with protein antigens are cultivated on embryo monolayers in the presence of the antigen, numerous clones of mast cells appear. The histochemical and ultrastructural characteristics of the cells permit their identification as mast cells and distinguish them from the phagocytic histiocytes that usually arise in abundance in similar cultures from unimmunized mouse cells or from immunized mouse cells cultured in the absence of the antigen. Only a few colonies of mast cells appeared in the latter cultures. The basis for the induction of mast cell differentiation is not known.

Animals↗

Eosinophil chemotaxis of supernatants from cultured Hodgkin's lymph node cells.

Cultured lymph node cell supernatants from five out of six cases of Hodgkin's disease were relatively more chemotactic for peripheral blood eosinophils than neutrophils. In contrast, supernatants from two cases of lymphocytic lymphoma and four nodes showing reactive hyperplasia were chemotactic for neutrophils but had little eosinophil chemotactic activity. In most instances the dgree of eosinophil infiltration observed histologically in the Hodgkin's lymph node correlated with elaboration of eosinophil chemotactic activity from the cultured cells. Following gel-filtration of three of the Hodgkin's lymphnode supernatants, four peaks of eosinophil chemotactic activity were demonstrated in each case. One of these corresponded in molecular size to th previously described eosinophil chemotactic factor of anaphylaxis (ECF-A). It is suggested that the eosinophil chemotactic activity of cultured lymph node cell supernatants may be on value in the diagnosis and classification of Hodgkin's disease.

Anaphylaxis↗

[Surgical results on N2 lung cancer with special reference to correlation between tumor size and extension of lymph node metastases].

Systematic lymph node dissection was performed for every patients undergoing surgical intervention. Since 1981, there were 218 stage IIIA-N2 patients who underwent resection with two operative mortality. The five-year survival rate of whole cases was 22.6%, and that of 152 completely resected cases was 30.0%. Favorable factors on long-term survival of pN2 patients were cN0, T1-2 N2M0, single mediastinal node involvement, and tumor less than 20 mm or less. The five-year survival rates of stage IIIA-N2 patients with tumor diameter of < or = 20 mm, 21-30 mm, 31-50 mm, and > or = 51 mm were 48.1%, 27.7%, 31.2%, and 16.7%, respectively. When micrometastases to lymph node in the p-stage I patients (diagnosed by H-E staining) were examined by immunohistochemical staining, 36 patients (27%) out of 132 verified micrometastases in the lymph nodes.

Humans↗

Dramatic hyperplasia of mtv-2+ lymph node grafts in mtv-2- recipients and selective stimulation of V beta 14+ T cells in recipients' lymph nodes in the DDD mouse.

DDD/1 (DDD) mice contrast strikingly with DDD-mtv-2/mtv-2 (DDD-mtv-2) congenics in their marked lymph node (LN) T cell paucity. To clarify the possible difference in LN function between them, reciprocal LN grafting experiments were conducted. DDD-mtv-2 LN grafts in DDD recipients underwent hyperplasia as dramatic as 10-to 20-fold increase in weight between 3 and 4 wk after implantation. Lymphoid cells in hyperplastic LN grafts were of recipient origin. Similar hyperplasia of mtv-2-heterozygous LN grafts also occurred on various hybrid backgrounds involving DDD mice. Moreover, LN grafts from BALB/c mice infected with mtv-2-derived exogenous mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) swelled in MMTV-free BALB/c recipients. Genetic analysis of DDD x (DDD x DDD-mtv-2)F1 backcross progeny demonstrated that LN hyperplasia was closely linked to mtv-2. The frequencies of V beta 5+ and V beta 8+ T cells unresponsive to mtv-2-encoded superantigen (SAg) changed with practically the same kinetics in both LN grafts and recipients' LN. Thus, the cells responsible for LN hyperplasia were polyclonal. V beta 14+ CD4+ cells responsive to mtv-2 SAg were specifically stimulated in recipients' LN but selectively deleted in hyperplastic LN grafts. DDD mice carrying hyperplastic mtv-2+ LN grafts or pretreated with mtv-2+ spleen cells developed an unresponsive state in terms of influx of mtv-2- lymphoid cells into mtv-2+ LN grafts. These results indicate that mtv-2 gene products including SAg may stimulate mtv-2- lymphoid cells of recipients and cause them to migrate into mtv-2+ LN grafts in a nonspecific manner with resulting LN hyperplasia.

Animals↗

Lymph node biopsy.

The lymph node biopsy may well be the most important surgical operation that the patient ever has. Recent advances in the immunological characterization of human lymphocyte sub-populations, and the use of selected cytochemistry techniques have enabled increased understanding of the pathogenesis of malignant lymphomas, as well as providing more precise categorization of the cell of origin of many of these tumours. The fact is, however, that the vast majority of diagnoses of lymph node biopsies are made on morphological features observed at light microscopy level. The diagnosis and differential diagnosis of lymphomas, and particularly their distinction from benign conditions, are among the most frequent and most difficult problems in diagnostic histopathology. Whilst many of the principles enumerated in the text apply to all areas of surgical pathology, meticulous attention to detail is essential at all phases in the preparation of a satisfactory lymph node biopsy.

Biopsy↗

Development of IgE-forming cells in vitro from rat mesenteric lymph node cells.

Mesenteric lymph node cells from normal rats and rats infected with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb) were cultured with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) or Nb antigen, and the development of IgM-, IgG2a-, or IgE-containing cells was assessed by immunofluorescence. Normal lymph node cells stimulated with PWM developed into both IgM- and IgE-containing cells, whereas similar stimulation of cells from Nb-infected rats resulted in the development of IgM-, IgG2a-, and IgE-containing cells. The in vitro plasma cell response to PWM was dependent on the presence of T lymphocytes. Lymph node cells from Nb-infected rats responsed to Nb antigen and developed into plasma cells of IgM, IgG, and IgE classes. The response was antigen specific and required antigen-primed T cells. Depletion of IgE-bearing cells or IgM-bearing cells before stimulation with either PWM or Nb antigen diminished the level of IgE forming cell development, suggesting that IgE-IgM double bearing cells are precursors of IgE-forming cells. The distribution of the three isotypes among the If-forming cells that developed in response to PWM was influenced by the source of both B and T cells. When B cells from Nb-infected rats were employed as a source of precursors, T cells from infected animals were more effective than normal T cells for the development of IgE-forming cells, whereas the latter cells were more effective for the development of IgG2a-forming cells than T cells from infected animals.

Animals↗

Lymph pathways of the medial retropharyngeal lymph node in dogs.

In dogs, lymph drains from tissues throughout the head, including the tonsils, along lymphatic vessels to the facial, parotid, lateral retropharyngeal and mandibular lymph nodes. From the mandibular lymph nodes, lymph may flow to the ipsilateral medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes, or along anastomotic connections to the contralateral node. Afferent lymphatics convey lymph from these nodes to defined areas in the medial retropharyngeal nodes. They divide over the surface of the node, and within trabeculae. Terminal afferent lymphatics are connected to the subcapsular and trabecular sinuses either through circular or oval holes in the vessel wall, or terminate at the sinus where the vessel contains a valve adjacent to the point of entry. The subcapsular sinus surrounds the entire node, and is continuous with an interconnecting network of trabecular and cortical sinuses which convey lymph through the cortex. Connective tissue septa extend through the sinuses and lymph flows freely between adjacent sinuses through holes in the septal walls. Initial efferent lymphatic vessels, which arise from the medullary sinuses between medullary cords, converge towards and unite within the network of medullary trabeculae. Other vessels, which contain valve-like flaps, drain lymph from the subcapsular sinus. Efferent vessels emerge along the hilus and coalesce to form the tracheal trunk. The tracheal trunk has several layers of smooth muscle cells, well developed elastic laminae and connective tissue, surrounding the lymphatic endothelium.

Animals↗

Microstaging of breast cancer patients using cytokeratin staining of the sentinel lymph node.

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping is an effective and accurate method of axillary nodal evaluation for metastatic disease. Cytokeratin (CK) immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of the SLN has found micrometastatic disease previously undetected by routine hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stains. The purpose of this study is to determine the number of patients who were upstaged or microstaged, i.e., detected to have micrometastatic disease only by combined lymphatic mapping with CK IHC. METHODS: Two hundred and ten patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer underwent intraoperative lymphatic mapping using a combination of vital blue dye and technetium-labeled sulfur colloid. The excised sentinel lymph nodes were examined grossly, by imprint cytology, by standard H&E histology, and by IHC stains for CK. SLNs that were only CK positive were confirmed to be malignant by histologic examination. RESULTS: CK IHC staining was performed on 381 SLNs in 210 breast cancer patients. Forty-seven of 210 patients (22.4%) had positive nodes. Thirty of these 47 patients (63.8%) had both H&E- and CK-positive SLNs, and an additional 17 of the 47 positive patients (36.2%) had only CK-positive SLNs. Seventeen of the 180 patients (9.4%) who were negative on H&E staining were upstaged by CK IHC staining of malignant cells in the SLN. Comparison of tumor size with the total number of node-positive patients demonstrated that 16 of 30 node-positive T0 and T1 patients (53.5%) and 22 of 39 nodes (56.4%) were upstaged by CK IHC staining. T2 and T3 patients were less frequently upstaged by cytokeratin analysis of lymph nodes. Only one of 17 node-positive patients (5.9%) and seven of 34 nodes (20.6%) in patients with T2 and T3 tumors were upstaged. CONCLUSION: CK IHC staining of SLNs shifted 9.4% of patients from stage I to stage II. There was a significant upstaging influence noted in patients with tumor sizes under 2 cm. This microstaging shift or upstaging may account for the significant proportion of stage I breast cancer treatment failures. Microstaging of the SLNs using more sensitive assays may help identify a subgroup of patients with invasive breast cancer who would benefit from systemic adjuvant treatment, while sparing a disease-free subset of patients the additional risks of toxic adjuvant chemotherapy.

Biopsy, Needle↗

[Risk of stage underestimation of breast cancer by sentinel lymph node biopsy method].

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is fast becoming the standard for testing lymph node involvement in many institutions. However questions remain as to stage underestimation. The aim of this study was to analyse this specific risk in a retrospective study. Between 1975 to 1999, 1,636 patients underwent a breast cancer excision and an axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for 437 T0, 766 T1 or 433 T2 < or = 30 mm breast cancer without axillary lymph node involvement (NO). We analyse this population because of similar characteristics with SLN biopsy present indication. Node involvement rate was analysed regarding predictive factors of lymph node involvement (LNI): pathologic diameter, grading, peritumoral vascular embols, hormonal receptors, menopause and age. Risk of no adjuvant chemotherapy indication in case of SLN biopsy method using was analysed for pre and post menopaused women. Overall lymph node involvement was 27% (444/1,636): 17% for TO stage (74/437), 26% for T1 stage (202/766), 39% for T2 < or =30 mm stage (168/433). LNI was similar for ductai and lobular invasive breast cancer respectively 27,4% (308/1,125) and 24,3% (52/214). On the other hand LNI rate was sign lower for tubular, medullar and colloids cancers: 15% (20/155). Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis showed LNI significative predictive factors: vascular embols, grade III, age < or = 50 years, tumor diameter > 30 mm. Lymph node involvement rate was defined regarding grading, vascular embols and tumor diameter with increasing rate according to different sub-groups. Among pre-menopaused patients with a false negative rate of SLN of 5%, SLN biopsy without ALND give a specific risk of wrong non-adjuvant chemotherapy indication of 1,4 case/1,000. Among menopaused patients SLN biopsy without ALND give a specific risk of 0,93 cases/1,000. Expected LNI regarding major predictive factors (vascular embols, grading and tumor diameter) allows SLN biopsy risk/benefit evaluation in different sub-groups. SLN biopsy indication could he improved according these data which could be obtain pre-operatively by micro-biopsy.

Breast Neoplasms↗