Progress in lymphadenectomy potential in radioisotope surgery of cervical carcinoma

The introduction, in 1969, of radionuclide-assisted radical surgery using colloidal gold resulted in a substantial reduction of mortality from relapses with nodal involvement. While Wertheim's operation practiced between 1961 and 1965 was associated 50% recurrence mortality, mortality for all clinically operable stages dropped to 43.5% between 1966 and 1973, stage Ib mortality decreasing from 47.4% (1961-1965) to 26.9% (1966-1973). Within technetium labeling, which was introduced in 1977, the nodectomy potential was increased from an original 52.5% obtained with 198 colloidal gold and a scanner or eye probe to 88% obtained with the camera technique and technetium in 1979.