A Study on the Detection Rates and Location of Sentinel Lymph Node in Patients with Gynecologic Cancers

Sentinel lymph node mapping is emerging as an accurate technique to assess the lymph nodal status while reducing surgical and postoperative morbidity. Present study looks into the detection rates and location of sentinel nodes during Sentinel node mapping when Indocyanine green dye was used as a tracer.

This is a single institutional study with details retrieved from a prospectively maintained database. All patients who underwent sentinel node mapping using ICG dye for atypical hyperplasia, endometrial and cervical cancers from February 2015 to April 2020 were included. Location of the sentinel node was taken from the graphical record maintained during surgery. The data obtained are expressed as number and percentage and/or mean and standard deviation for continuous variables. Chi-square test was performed to compare categorical variables.

Two hundred and seventy-nine patients underwent sentinel node mapping with ICG dye during this period. Mapping was successful in 270 patients (96.8%) with 85% having successful bilateral mapping. Obturator was the most common location (52%) followed by external iliac (34%). There was no significant difference in detection among patients with BMI less than 30 or more than 30. The detection rate across various histologies of endometrial cancer was also similar.

Sentinel node mapping using ICG dye has got excellent overall and bilateral detection rates making it a valuable tool. Obturator was found to be the most common location for the sentinel node. Mapping using ICG dye yield good detection rates in all histologies of endometrial cancer and in patients with high BMI.