REVIEW  THE ROLE OF SENTINEL NODE IN GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS 

Minerva Ginecologica 2020 December;72(6):404-12

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4784.20.04707-3

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Update on new imaging technologies in sentinel node detection

Silvia PELLIGRA ¹, Giuseppe SCALETTA ¹ ✉, Stefano CIANCI ², Salvatore GUELI ALLETTI ¹, Stefano RESTAINO ¹, Anna FAGOTTI ^{1, 3}, Giovanni SCAMBIA ^{1, 3}, Francesco FANFANI ^{1, 3}

¹ Department of Women’s and Children’s Health Sciences and Public Health, IRCCS A. Gemelli University Polyclinic Foundation, Rome, Italy; ² Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania, Naples, Italy; ³ Department of Women’s and Children’s Health Sciences and Public Health, Sacred Heart Catholic University, Rome, Italy

In most cancers, lymph node status is the most critical factor impacting the evolution of the disease and the overall survival. Identifying potential nodal metastasis allows the oncologist to adjust the stage and, consequently, the patient’s treatment. For this reason, a precise evaluation of the regional nodes is mandatory. In gynecological cancers, pelvic, paraaortic, and inguinal nodes are the region most frequently interested by metastasis. In the past years, comprehensive lymphadenectomy was the standard of care for endometrial, cervical, ovarian, and vulvar cancers. However, after introducing the sentinel lymph node (SNL) biopsy in breast cancers, this technique has gained much more interest in gynecology oncology. Several studies have shown that SLN allows an evaluation of the node status without the complications related to the lymphadenectomy that impacts the patient’s quality of life. In this review, we discuss the role of SNL biopsy in gynecological cancers and the technique’s evolution over the years. Moreover, we debate the OSNA method for SLN analysis that is recently introduced for uterine cancer.

KEY WORDS: Gynecology; Neoplasms; Sentinel lymph node biopsy; Review