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Updated: Sep 30, 2025
Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping and Biopsy for Endometrial Cancer at Early Stage with Laparoscopy
Published on: August 19, 2021
Uptake in sentinel lymph node biopsy for endometrial cancer with T3 classification
Koji Matsuo1, Maximilian Klar2, Varun U Khetan3
1Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Objective:
The current clinical practice guidelines for endometrial cancer specify sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy to be performed in apparent uterine-confined disease. However, a recent population-based analysis found that the utilization of SLN biopsy is increasing in extra-uterine disease such as T2 classification. The objective of this study was to examine trends and outcomes related to SLN biopsy for endometrial cancer with T3 classification, another extra-uterine disease.
Methods:
A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted to examine 7004 women with T3 endometrial cancer who underwent primary surgery between 2010 and 2018, identified in the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Trends and characteristics related to SLN biopsy were assessed by multinomial regression analysis, and inverse probability of treatment weighting propensity score was used to assess overall survival related to SLN biopsy.
Results:
Nodal evaluation type included lymphadenectomy (n = 5276, 75.3%), SLN biopsy (n = 287, 4.1%), and none (n = 1441, 20.6%). The utilization of SLN biopsy increased from 0.4% to 12.9% between 2010 and 2018 (P < 0.001) that this association remained independent in multivariable analysis (adjusted-odds ratio compared to 2010-2012, 2.63 [95% confidence interval 1.57-4.42] for 2013-2015 and 10.1 [95% confidence interval 6.30-16.2] for 2016-2018). When compared to the lymphadenectomy group, the SLN biopsy group was less likely to have T3b disease (adjusted-odds ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.51-0.94) but had similar postoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy (both, P > 0.05). In a weighted model, the 3-year overall survival rate was 66.3% for the SLN biopsy group and 64.7% for the lymphadenectomy group (hazard ratio 0.85, 95% confidence interval 0.69-1.05). Similar association was observed in subcohorts for young, old, endometrioid, non-endometrioid, T3a, T3b, and N0 cases.
Conclusion:
Utilization of SLN biopsy in T3 endometrial cancer is increasing in the United States.
