Pelvic lymph node micrometastasis in patients with early stage cervical squamous cancer

Objective:To explore the clinical significance of detecting the pelvic lymph node micrometastasis in patients with early stage cervical squamous cancer.Methods:The medical records of 14 patients with cervical squamous cancer of FIGO(1995)stage Ia to Ⅱa who admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University from January 2006 to June 2006 were retrospectively reviewed.A total of 228 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded pelvic lymph node specimens were serially sectioned and stained with anti-cytokeratin antibodies AE1/AE3.Results:Among 228 lymph nodes obtained from 14 patients,micrometastasis was found in 3 lymph nodes from 3 patients.The positive rate of micrometastasis was 21.4%(3 of 14 patients),and the positive rate of lymph nodes was 1.3%(3 of 228 lymph nodes).The detection rates of external iliac lymph nodes and obturator lymph nodes were 3.8% and 1.1%,respectively.The positive rate of micrometastasis increased with the progression of clinical stage(χ2=8.601,P0.05).Conclusion:Micrometastasis exists in the pelvic lymph nodes of patients with early stage cervical cancer,and it can be detected by immunohistochemical method.