confusion. lymph nodes.

[Swophie]

the lymph nodes are meant to filter out diseases and 'bad' things. why do become cancerous?
does something happen to them that makes the opposite happen to them?

would much appreciate your help :)

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi,

Why this interest with cancer?

Anyone you know who have enlarged lymph nodes or who has been diagnosed with cancer?

Cancer cells grow and multiply rapidly than normal cells in the body.Cancer usually starts from a particlar source .The process of cancer progression  includes migration of cancer cells from the primary source into the blood where it invades other tissues in the body.Blood usually passes through lymph nodes, Cancer cells may invade lymph nodes and the infiltration of cancer cells may eventually lead to metastatic cancer of the lymph nodes. Molecular mechanisms are involved and most of the initial processes of metatstasis are undetected even by CT Scan or MRI.  More novel technology involving functional imaging may help detect cancer even at its earliest stages.But  research on these technologies are still ongoing.

I hope this helps.

[metalgirl70]

When cancer spreads, one of the routes it may take is the lymph node system.  So the node can become cancerous because the cancer has spread there.