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NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

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technetium Tc 99m sulfur colloid  listen  (tek-NEE-shee-um ... SUL-fur KAH-loyd)

  A substance being studied as a way to find cancer in the body. It is also used to find sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer. It contains a radioactive substance called technetium linked to a substance called sulfur colloid. Sulfer colloid is taken up by special cells in lymph tissue, and in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow after it is injected. A machine or probe that detects radioactivity is used to find where the technetium Tc 99m sulfur colloid is in the body. It is a type of radiopharmaceutical and a type of radioimaging agent. Also called Tc 99m sulfur colloid and Tc-99m SC.