From Greek: para allelois beside one another. Lines are parallel if they lie in the same plane, and are the same distance apart over their entire length. Try this Drag any orange dot at the points P or Q. As the line PQ moves, the line RS will remain parallel to it. Parallel lines remain the same distance apart over their entire length.
It is important to know whether the cancer has got into the lymph glands because they are one of the main mechanisms by which the cancer can spread to other parts of the body. As long as the spread is just to the lymph glands near to the colon then this would indicate Stage 3 cancer.
In secondary or metastatic lymph node cancer, cancer cells from a malignant tumor of a distant organ travel to the lymph nodes via the lymphatic or blood vessels and lodge within the lymph nodes, where they continue to proliferate. Signs and symptoms of the primary cancer may be present but sometimes detection of an enlarged lymph node may be the first sign of cancer. 2  For example â an enlarged left supraclavicular lymph node is often the first sign of stomach cancer.