Abstract
Our goal was to investigate the feasibility of identifying the sentinel lymph node (SLN) in patients undergoing surgery for cervical and vulvar carcinomas. We also evaluated the advantages that such procedure can offer in this kind of tumors. We detected the sentinel lymph node through preoperative lymphoscintigraphy (Technetium-99m colloid) and intraoperative visualization with blue dye by a hand-held or laparoscopic gamma-probe in 7 patients with invasive cervical carcinoma (clinical stage Ib1) and in 6 patients with vulvar carcinoma (clinical stages Ib and II) . At least one sentinel lymph node was identified in each patient. SNL was more commonly found in patients with invasive cervical carcinoma. We observed neoplastic infiltration in 3 nodes, all of them corresponding to cases of vulvar carcinoma. Sentinel lymph node identification is a feasible technique in the management of vulvar and cervical carcinomas. Our preliminary data show that SLN in gynecological carcinomas have similar uses as in other anatomical sites, identifying women in whom lymph node dissection can be avoided.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
