# Lymphovascular invasion (LVI)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/lymphovascular-invasion/  
OnCo record `lymphovascular-invasion` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

The pathologist has seen cancer cells inside small lymph or blood vessels in the removed tissue: a sign the tumour has found the exit routes, even if the nodes are clear.

## Summary

Reported in most resection specimens, LVI raises the risk of node metastases and recurrence and is a criterion for adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II colon cancer, for surgery rather than endoscopic resection in early gastric and oesophageal cancer, for adjuvant therapy in stage I testicular cancer, and for cystectomy in bladder cancer. Extramural venous invasion (EMVI) on MRI is a high-risk feature in rectal cancer. It is one of several 'high-risk features' alongside grade, perineural invasion and positive margins.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: LVI; lymphovascular; vascular invasion; lymphatic invasion; venous invasion; extramural venous invasion; EMVI

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphovascular_invasion
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphovascular_invasion

## Connected records

- terms: [Depth of invasion (DOI)](https://onco.cc/terms/depth-of-invasion/), [EMR and ESD (endoscopic mucosal resection, endoscopic submucosal dissection)](https://onco.cc/terms/endoscopic-resection-term/), [Lymph node status (node-positive / node-negative)](https://onco.cc/terms/lymph-node-status/), [No specific molecular profile (NSMP) endometrial cancer](https://onco.cc/terms/nsmp/), [Obstruction and T4 disease in bowel cancer](https://onco.cc/terms/obstructing-colorectal-cancer/), [Perineural invasion (PNI)](https://onco.cc/terms/perineural-invasion/), [Resection margins (R0 / R1 / R2)](https://onco.cc/terms/resection-margins/), [Tumour size on a breast report, and why it differs from the scan](https://onco.cc/terms/breast-tumour-size-on-the-report/)
- technologies: [Endoscopic resection (EMR / ESD)](https://onco.cc/technologies/endoscopic-resection/)
- fronts: [Diagnostics & Biomarkers](https://onco.cc/fronts/diagnostics/)
- cancers: [Breast cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/breast-cancer/), [Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder](https://onco.cc/cancers/gallbladder-neuroendocrine-carcinoma/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/lymphovascular-invasion.json