Detection of sentinel lymph nodes in patients with endometrial cancer using patent blue injection in the uterine cervix-a study of 58 cases

Abstract

Endometrial cancer is the second most common malignancy in women after breast cancer. The staging of the disease is solely surgical so the information concerning the lymph node status is crucial for the postoperative treatment and prognosis. Aim. The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility of sentinel lymph node detection in patients with endometrial cancer stage I, via injecting patent blue in the uterine cervix. Materials and methods. The study includes 58 patients with endometrial cancer. The technique includes 4 ml of blue dye administered intracervical at two sites-3 and 9 o’clock. After 20 min sentinel lymph nodes were detected. Results. Lymph nodes were detected in 52 patients and in only 6 patients the method was unsuccessful thus leaving the detection rate at 89.65 % Conclusion. This method for detection of sentinel lymph nodes in patients with endometrial cancer is promising, fast and easy to implement, but additional studies must be done for it to become part of the standard for surgical treatment of endometrial cancer.