Sentinel lymph node identification in patients with early stage cervical cancer undergoing radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy.

BACKGROUND: In general, sentinel lymph node (SLN) can reflect the whole state of the entire drainage area. The present study evaluated the clinical significance of sentinel lymph node identification in the treatment of early stage cervical cancer. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with early stage (Ia-IIa) cervical cancer undergoing radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy were included in this study. At two locations 8 hours before operation, 0.4 ml 37 Mbq technicium-99 labeled dextran was injected intracervically. After that, preoperative lymphoscintigraphy was performed to detect SLNs. During the operation, lymph nodes were detected ex vivo by a gamma-counter to identify SLNs. The samples of SLNs and non-SLNs were used for pathological examination separately and compared with the final results. RESULTS: SLNs were identified in 27 of 28 (96.4%) patients. A total of 123 SLNs were identified from 814 nodes. Six patients had altogether 11 positive lymph nodes, which were all SLNs. No patient had false-negative sentinel node. CONCLUSION: SLNs can successfully predict the lymphatic metastasis in patients with cervical cancer. The clinical validity of this technique should be evaluated prospectively.