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Sentinel node biopsy appears as a promising technique for the assessment of nodal disease in early cervical cancers. Selection of a population with a low risk of nodal metastasis, a minimal training, and simple rules allow a low false negative rate. Sentinel node biopsy provides supplementary information, such as anatomical information (nodes outside of routine lymphadenectomy areas) and histological information (isolated tumors cells and micrometastases).

In vulvar cancer, lymph node status is a major prognostic factor. Currently, the reference regarding nodal exploration is the groin lymphadenectomy responsible for a significant morbidity. The sentinel node technique in breast cancer has become a standard of care. This technique has been studied for fifteen years in vulvar cancer, on small numbers because of its low incidence. There is not yet consensus about its use in practice. This article is a focus on this technology, its feasibility and the benefits of sentinel node detection applied to vulvar cancer.