Abstract
Sentinel lymph node biopsy has been widely studied in a number of cancer types. As far as cervical cancer is concerned, this technique has already been used, revealing both positive results and several issues to be solved. The debate on the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in cervical cancer is still open although most of the studies have already revealed its superiority over complete lymphadenectomy and the best handling possible of the emerging practical problems. Further research should be made in order to standardize this method and include it in the clinical routine.
Highlights
Cervical carcinoma is the commonest gynaecological cancer worldwide with almost 500.000 new cases per year and is prevalent in the developing countries [1]
Lymph node metastasis is a central phenomenon in the natural history of patients with cervical cancer
The sentinel lymph node (SLN) is the first node draining the lymphatic flow from a primary tumor and represents the status of lymphatic spread [4, 5]
Summary
Cervical carcinoma is the commonest gynaecological cancer worldwide with almost 500.000 new cases per year and is prevalent in the developing countries [1]. This means that a great number of patients with negative nodes will derive no benefit from lymphadenectomy [6] On the contrary, they suffer from the possible sideeffects of this procedure such as lymphoedema (10–15%), lymphocyst formation (up to 20%), neurovascular or ureteral injury, venous thromboembolism [2], infection, increased blood loss secondary to the dissection, and increased operative time [7,8,9]. In addition to the above, even if lymph node metastases are detected, patients can avoid being submitted to two treatment modalities, which are radical surgery and chemoradiation therapy This option is really important for young women, who wish to preserve reproductive potential and could be treated with fertilitysparing radical trachelectomy [14]. Taking into consideration the facts above, the scientific world has introduced the possible clinical use of sentinel lymph node biopsy in cervical cancer patients
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