The lymph in the tissues is filtered in the lymph nodes. The lymph eventually returns to the blood via a network of small lymph vessels, with various lymph nodes as intermediate stations. When mobile number list tumor cells hitch a ride on the lymph fluid, they initially end up in the lymph nodes.

Surgical removal of colon cancer always involves the removal of some lymph nodes in the surrounding area. If the pathologist finds tumor cells there, the disease is in an advanced stage. For some time now, a new technique has been used in the LUMC for the examination of the lymph nodes. A dye is injected into the tumor. The lymph nodes that are stained within minutes are also the first intermediate stations for the tumor cells.