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Metastases are responsible for 90% of human cancer deaths.[1] Most solid tumors metastasize through the circulation system, and the sentinel lymph node (LN) is typically the first site reached by the disseminating malignant cancer cells.[2] The detection of LN metastases is therefore crucial for accurate tumor staging and therapeutic decisionmaking.[3] The current standard method for LN assessment is lymphography using a vital blue dye. However, this method is invasive, involving extended nodal dissection, and can give a false negative result if a LN is missed in surgery.[4] A non-invasive LN imaging technique is urgently needed to improve the accuracy of tumor staging.[5] Various techniques for sentinel LN imaging have been investigated, such as near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and ultrasound and …