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A glow under blue light might be the difference between guessing and knowing where cancer has spread. We sit down with Drs. Elizabeth Maxwell and Veronica Perez to unpack a practical, low-cost approach to sentinel lymph node mapping in dogs using fluorescein sodium, a compound many veterinarians already recognize from everyday clinical use. Our focus stays on one big goal: expanding access to accurate cancer staging in veterinary oncology without requiring advanced imaging, specialized near-infrared camera systems, or a referral-only workflow. 

We walk through the real surgical details: intradermal injections around the tumor, quick massage for lymphatic uptake, then watching the lymphatic channels appear in real time with handheld lights and blue light filtering glasses. Elizabeth and Veronica share why simplicity matters for adoption in general practice, what they learned about black light versus blue light clarity, and why “I can see it with my eyes” can reduce friction in the operating room. 

Then we get into the stakes. In their pilot study of six client-owned dogs, the team identified at least one sentinel lymph node in every case, with rapid visualization after injection. Histopathology underscores the clinical value: metastatic mast cell disease showed up in sentinel nodes, including early nodal metastasis that palpation alone could miss, and even deeper second-tier nodes in some dogs. We also cover key limitations, including small sample size, qualitative assessment, and the need for head-to-head trials against standards like indocyanine green near-infrared fluorescence to define sensitivity, specificity, and false negative rates. 

If you care about affordable veterinary cancer care, better surgical decision making, and practical tools that can move beyond specialty centers, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen, then tell us what would help you adopt sentinel lymph node mapping in your own clinic.

JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/

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