title: A review of sentinel lymph node evaluation and the need for its incorporation into veterinary oncology.
abstract: Being the first lymph node or nodes to which many primary tumours reliably drain, the disease status of the sentinel lymph node/s (SLN) is important in the prediction of survival. SLN identification and biopsy are critical in the staging of human cancers. The status of the SLN helps determine prognosis and shape treatment plans. SLN evaluation is currently not routinely performed in veterinary oncology, not even at specialty oncology practices. Given the prognostic importance of lymph node involvement in tumours such as mammary gland carcinoma, osteosarcoma, synovial cell sarcoma and mast cell tumours, SLN evaluation should be incorporated into routine clinical practice so as to improve our clinical assessment of veterinary oncologic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA. tuohy2e@yahoo.com
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Tuohy
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Milgram
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Worley
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Dernell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008495:Medical Oncology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000662:veterinary*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011379:Prognosis; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000662:veterinary*; D014730:Veterinary Medicine