The biologic significance of micrometastatic disease and sentinel lymph node technology on colorectal cancer

The sentinel lymph node (SLN) technique has practical applications in multiple solid tumors including colorectal carcinoma. Identifying the SLN(s) provides better staging of the regional lymphatics beyond standard H&E analysis. This additional information assists in predicting biology and may be useful in guiding adjuvant therapy. We postulate the era of sentinel node has ushered in a new generation of node-negative patients; patients that have an exceptionally favorable outcome when compared to historic controls.