Dynamic sentinel lymph node biopsy as the new paradigm for the management of penile cancer

The management of patients with penile cancer who have high-risk features for micrometastasis with clinically negative inguinal lymph nodes is controversial. We describe the history of the sentinel lymph node biopsy and how it has evolved to become a useful adjunct in the management of penile cancer.

Using a PubMed search, we identified the evidence relating to the management of the inguinal lymph nodes in penile cancer between 1977 and 2010.

The concept of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) was first described in 1977 for penile carcinoma where lymphangiograms were performed via the dorsal lymphatics of the penis to locate the primary lymphatic drainage zone of the penis situated near the saphenofemoral junction. Then, in 1992, the lymphatic mapping concept was further advanced by performing intradermal injections of blue dye to directly visualize the lymphatic channels and SLN in the treatment of melanoma. In 1994, investigators from The Netherlands pioneered the use of dynamic sentinel lymph node biopsies (DSLNB) for penile cancer by combining the use of peri-lesional blue dye injection, lymphoscintigraphy, and other future modifications of the technique to achieve low false negative biopsy rates (4.8%) as well as much lower morbidity (5.7%), compared with the 30%-50% morbidity associated with a full inguinal node dissection.

DSLNB significantly decreases the morbidity associated with performing a standard or even modified inguinal lymph node dissection in patients with clinically negative inguinal lymph nodes. Performing DSLNB requires a multidisciplinary team of urologists, nuclear medicine radiologists, and pathologists working in cohesion to attain the best SLN detection rates with the lowest possible false-negative rates.