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The lymphatic system is a one way circulation that channels tissue fluid back into the heart. The watery fluid called lymph seeps out of the blood into tissues, and while journeying back to the heart, it picks up germs, cancer cells, and some waste products. Lymph passes through the lymph nodes, which are major arsenals of immune defense that attack germs carried in the lymph. Cancer cells are also subject to attack in lymph nodes.
Cancers of the lymph system, such as Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, spread throughout the body. Treatment often depends upon finding all the disease and directing radiation to each location. Planning other kinds of treatment, such as surgery or chemotherapy, may also require that the full extent of the disease be known.
The lymphatic circulation may become clogged by infection, injury, or several other types of cancer that have spread through lymphatic channels. Swelling, sometimes massive, can result from blocked lymphatics. The most outstanding example of this is the tropical disease filariasis, which results in the swelling of the legs termed elephangiasis.
Lymphangiography gives precise information on the extent and location of lymph vessels and lymph nodes. Oftentimes, it is performed to evaluate the extent of a lymphatic cancer. Rarely, it is a tool, which aids surgeons attempting to reconstruct the lymphatics.
— J. Ricker Polsdorfer, MD
