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International audience; Objectives: To compare oncologic outcomes of patients with early-stage cervical cancer and negative nodes who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy alone (SLNB) versus pelvic lymphadenectomy (PL).Methods: An ancillary analysis of two prospective multicentric trials on SLN biopsy for cervical cancer (SENTICOL I and II) was conducted. Only patients with early-stage cervical cancer (IA to IIA FIGO stage), bilateral detection of SLN, negative SLN after ultrastaging and negative non-SLN after final pathologic examination were included. Risk-factors of recurrence and disease-specific mortality were determined by Cox proportional hazard models.Results: Between January 2005 and July 2012, 259 node-negative patients were analyzed: 87 in the SLNB group and 172 in the PL group. The median follow-up was 47 months [4-127]. During the follow-up, 21 patients (8.1%) experienced recurrences, including 4 nodal recurrences (1.9%), and 9 patients (3.5%) died of cervical cancer. Disease-free survival (DFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were similar between SLNB and PL groups, 85.1% vs. 80.4%, p = 0.24 and 90.8% vs. 97.2%, p = 0.22 respectively. By Cox multivariate analysis, SLNB compared to PL was not associated with DFS (HR = 1.78, 95%CI = [0.71-4.46], p = 0.22) neither with DSS (HR = 3.02, 95%CI = [0.69-13.18], p = 0.14). Only pathologic risk level according to the Sedlis criteria was an independent predictor of DFS and DSS.Conclusions: Omitting full pelvic lymphadenectomy for patients with bilateral negative SLN does not seem to be associated with an increased risk of recurrence in this series. Survival non-inferiority needs to be confirmed by prospective trials.

OBJECTIVES: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping may replace staging radical pelvic lymphadenectomy in women with early-stage cervical cancer. In a national multicenter setting, we evaluated SLN mapping in women with early-stage cervical cancer and investigated the accuracy of SLN mapping and FDG-PET/CT in tumors >20 mm.METHODS: We prospectively included women with early-stage cervical cancer from March 2017-January 2021 to undergo SLN mapping. Women with tumors >20 mm underwent completion pelvic lymphadenectomy and removal of FDG-PET/CT positive nodes. We determined SLN detection rates, incidence of nodal disease, sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) of SLN mapping, and the sensitivity, specificity, NPV, and positive predictive value (PPV) of FDG-PET/CT.RESULTS: We included 245 women, and 38 (15.5%) had nodal metastasis. The SLN detection rate was 96.3% (236/245), with 82.0% (201/245) bilateral detection. In a stratified analysis of 103 women with tumors >20 mm, 27 (26.2%) had nodal metastases. The sensitivity of SLN mapping adhering to the algorithm was 96.3% (95% CI 81.0-99.9%) and the NPV 98.7% (95% CI 93.0-100%). For FDG-PET/CT imaging the sensitivity was 14.8% (95% CI 4.2-33.7%), the specificity 85.5% (95% CI 75.6-92.5%), the NPV 73.9% (95% CI 63.4-82.7%), and the PPV 26.7% (95% CI 7.8-55.1%).CONCLUSIONS: SLN mapping seems to be an adequate staging procedure in early-stage cervical cancer tumors ≤20 mm. In tumors >20 mm, SLN mapping is highly sensitive but demands full adherence to the SLN algorithm. We recommend completion pelvic lymphadenectomy in tumors >20 mm until the oncological safety is established. FDG-PET/CT for nodal staging of women with early-stage cervical cancer seems limited.

To evaluate the feasibility of cervical conization and laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy as a fertility-sparing surgery to treat early-stage cervical cancer.We conducted a retrospective analysis from a prospectively maintained database of patients with stage IA1-IB1 grossly invisible cervical cancers undergoing conization plus laparoscopic lymphadenectomy between January 2014 and July 2019.Forty patients were identified. Five patients (12.5%) had stage IA1 with lymphovascular space invasion, 21 (52.5%) had stage IA2, and 14 (35.0%) had stage IB1. All of the patients had tumors2 cm. Histology included 35 (87.5%) squamous-cell carcinomas, three (7.5%) adenocarcinomas, and two (5.0%) adenosquamous carcinomas. Median duration of the procedure was 105 min (range, 31-219), and the median estimated blood loss was 50 ml (range, 30-200). One patient received abdominal radical trachelectomy due to the presence of positive margin after conization. Three patients developed postoperative cervical stenosis. After a median follow-up of 35 months (range, 8-74), only one patient (2.5%) developed a recurrence in the remaining cervix, and no patients died. Four of 17 patients attempting to conceive had a spontaneous pregnancy: three delivered at term and one was currently pregnant.Cervical conization and pelvic lymphadenectomy seems to be an acceptable treatment for well-selected patients with low-risk, early-stage cervical cancer who wish to preserve fertility. It offers excellent oncologic outcomes, low perioperative morbidities, and good reproductive results. Further large prospective studies are warranted to prove the effectiveness of this surgery.

Objectives To evaluate the capability of a novel sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping algorithm to reduce the need for pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLND) in patients with low-grade (G1–2) endometrial cancer (LGEC). Methods Patients with LGEC underwent evaluation according to a novel lymphatic assessment algorithm during hysterectomy with SLN biopsy at two academic gynecologic oncology programs. Side-specific PLND was only performed if ipsilateral SLN mapping failed and high-risk uterine features were identified on frozen section (FS). Side-specific and PLND rates were compared to theoretical PLND rates based on the NCCN EC SLN mapping algorithm. Results Since 11/2015, 113 LGEC patients have been managed according to the algorithm. SLN mapping was bilateral (81%), unilateral (12%), or neither (6%). Nine patients (8.0%) had LN metastases identified. Of the 21 patients requiring intraoperative FS due to failed SLN mapping, high-risk uterine features were identified in eight (38%). These patients underwent either bilateral (2) or unilateral (6) PLND. Side-specific and overall PLND rates were 5.3% and 7.1%, respectively. If all patients with failed mapping had undergone PLND according to the NCCN algorithm, side-specific and overall PLND rates would have been higher, 12.4% and 18.6%, respectively ( P =0.01). All patients who failed to map and did not undergo side-specific PLND had low-risk uterine features on final pathology. Conclusions Lymphatic assessment using SLN mapping followed by selective FS to determine need for PLND is feasible. When compared to the NCCN algorithm, this novel "Reflex Frozen Section" strategy eliminates PLND in patients at lowest risk for metastasis without compromising identification of metastatic nodal disease.

To evaluate the efficacy of a collagen-fibrin patch for the prevention of symptomatic lymphoceles after pelvic lymphadenectomy in women with gynecologic malignancies.In a multicenter, randomized, clinical trial, 164 women with pelvic lymphadenectomy were allocated either to bilateral pelvic application of two collagen-fibrin patches or no intervention. Main outcome was efficacy, defined as reduction of symptomatic lymphocele rate diagnosed within four weeks after surgery. Secondary outcomes were asymptomatic lymphoceles and subsequent interventions. Sample size was based on the assumption that application of a collagen-fibrin patch reduces the prevalence of symptomatic lymphoceles by at least 66%. The study was single-blinded, i.e., patients and primary outcome assessors, but not surgeons, were blinded to the treatment allocation.A total of 75 women were randomized to the intervention and 89 to the control group. All women received the allocated intervention. In total, 42 (27.4%) lymphoceles and 8 (5.2%) symptomatic lymphoceles were observed. Symptomatic lymphoceles were observed in 5/68 (7.4%) women in the intervention group and 3/85 (3.5%) women in the control group (p = 0.47). Asymptomatic lymphoceles were observed in 16 (23.5%) women in the intervention group compared to 18 (21.2%) in the control group (p = 0.85). In a multivariate logistic regression model, no independent risk factor for the development of a symptomatic lymphocele was ascertained.Intraoperative application of collagen-fibrin patches to the pelvic side walls does not reduce the incidence of symptomatic lymphoceles in women with gynecologic malignancies undergoing pelvic lymphadenectomy.

The aim of this study was to assess the detection rate, false-negative rate and sensitivity of SLN in LN staging in tumors over 2cm on a large cohort of patients.Data from patients with stages pT1a - pT2 cervical cancer who underwent surgical treatment, including SLN biopsy followed by systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy, were retrospectively analyzed. A combined technique with blue dye and radiocolloid was modified in larger tumors to inject the tracer into the residual cervical stroma.The study included 350 patients with stages pT1a - pT2. Macrometastases, micrometastases, and isolated tumor cells were found in 10%, 8%, and 4% of cases. Bilateral detection rate was similar in subgroups with tumors2cm, 2-3.9cm, and ≥4cm (79%, 83%, 76%) (P=0.460). There were only two cases with false-negative SLN ultrastaging for pelvic LN status among those with bilateral SLN detection. The false negative rate was very low in all three subgroups of different tumor sizes (0.9%, 0.9%, and 0.0%; P=0.999). Sensitivity reached 96% in the whole group and was high in all three groups (93%, 93%, 100%; P=0.510).If the tracer application technique is adjusted in larger tumors, SLN biopsy can be equally reliable in pelvic LN staging in tumors smaller and larger than 2cm. The bilateral detection rate and false negative rate did not differ in subgroups of patients with tumors2cm, 2-3.9cm, and ≥4cm.

Objective To compare robot-assisted laparoscopy and laparotomy for radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy in terms of hospital costs. Methods Consecutive women undergoing radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy as a sole procedure between January 2001 and February 2012 were included. We compared OR times, hospital stay, procedure specific costs, blood transfusions and cost for readmissions and re-interventions until three months after surgery for 231 women operated who received either an open ( n =51) or a robot-assisted laparoscopic radical hysterectomy ( n =180). The hospital internal charges and purchase costs were used for estimation. The specific robotic cost was based on an investment depreciation time of seven years, with 400 operations performed annually, costs for maintenance, robotic instruments, robot-specific assistant's instruments and robot draping. Results The estimated mean costs for an open radical hysterectomy was $12,986, for the first 30 robotic radical hysterectomies was $18,382, and for the last 30 was $12,759, with a break even in cost after 90 robotic procedures. The specific robot costs ($3469) was, for the last robot cohort, compensated mainly by an average of 22min shorter OR time and 4.9days shorter hospital stay. Conclusion Given 400 robot operations annually, and only after a substantial implementation period, it is feasible to perform robot-assisted radical hysterectomy at an equal hospital cost compared with open surgery.

Evaluate recurrence-free survival (RFS) and short-term morbidity in patients with early cervical cancer who undergo bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy (BPLND) versus bilateral sentinel lymph node biopsy only (BSLNB) at primary surgery.All patients with pathologically confirmed node negative stage IA/IB cervical cancer managed with BPLND or BSLNB were identified in the University of Toronto's prospective cervical cancer database from May 1984-June 2015. Groups were compared with Wilcoxon rank-sum, Chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests. Predictors of RFS were identified with Cox proportional hazard models. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared. Statistical significance was p0.05.1188 node negative patients were identified, BPLND-1078; BSLNB-110. There was no difference between BPLND and BSLNB in 2 and 5year RFS (95% vs 97% and 92% vs 93% respectively), tumor size, histology, invasion depth, intra-operative complications or short-term morbidity. BPLND was associated with increased surgical time (2.8 vs 2.0h, p0.001), blood loss (500mL vs 100mL, p0.001), transfusion (23% vs 0%, p0.001) and post-operative infection (11% vs 0%, p=0.001). Age, surgery date, stage, LVSI, and radicality of surgery differed between groups. Controlling for age, stage, LVSI, invasion depth and histology, there was no significant difference in RFS between groups. Only invasion depth, LVSI and histology were predictors of RFS.A negative BSLNB is not associated with a difference in RFS compared to a negative BPLND. Short-term morbidity may be reduced, however due to the long study period, changes in demographics and surgery may contribute to differences noted.

To investigate the distribution of iliac veins posterior to common iliac artery bifurcation (CIAB) for pelvic lymphadenectomy.After IRB approval was obtained, computer tomography angiography data of 442 female pelvises were acquired. After vascular three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions, the structural types, frequencies and diameters of iliac veins immediately posterior to CIAB were investigated and measured. To quantify iliac vein courses, linear distances and their distances on sagittal, coronal and vertical axes from CIAB to external/internal iliac veins confluence (EIIVC) were geometrically measured.There were five structural types of iliac veins distribution immediately posterior to CIAB: common iliac vein (CIV, 13.8%), no occurrence of great vein (N, 71.27%, 0), EIIVC (1.58%) and external iliac vein (EIV, 13.35%) on the left side, while confluence of common iliac veins (CCIV, 8.82%), CIV (77.38%), N (1.58%, 0), EIIVC (6.11%), and EIV (6.11%) on right. The venous diameters immediately posterior to CIAB in "CCIV", "CIV" and "EIIVC" were significantly larger than that in "EIV" (P0.05). Their linear distances and their distances on each axis from CIAB to external/internal iliac veins confluence (EIIVC) from CIAB to EIIVC were obtained.In this study, we presented new distribution of iliac veins posterior to CIAB, including structural types, frequencies, venous diameters immediately posterior to CIAB, and their quantified courses from CIAB to EIIVC. It could help surgeons reduce the risk of vascular injury, hemorrhage or transfusion in pelvic lymphadenectomy.

Objective To describe the anatomy of pelvic autonomic nerves as it applies to nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy, and the technique, feasibility, and results of robotic nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy. Methods Prospective evaluation of 6 patients undergoing robotic nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy (type C1) for cervical cancer Stage IB (1B1 in 3 and 1B2 in 3 patients). Pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed in 3 patients and pelvic and aortic in the remaining 3 patients. Results The operation was completed in all patients. The mean age of the patients was 51.0 (range 33–73) and mean BMI 27.8 (range 23.2–35.1). The mean operating time was 238.6min (range 207–256), mean blood loss 135ml (range 100–150), mean number of lymph nodes was 23.6 (range 19–29), mean hospital stay was 2days (range 1–4). There were no intraoperative complications. Postoperative complications occurred in 1 patient with an ileus who required an extended hospital stay. One patient did not regain normal urinary voidings until the fourth week after surgery. All patients remain free of disease. Conclusion Robotic nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy is safe and feasible. Urinary dysfunction may occur.

Objective To evaluate surgically related quality outcomes during the learning curve for board-certified or board-eligible gynecologic oncologists developing "new-to-them" surgical techniques. Methods The study design was a retrospective review of patients with endometrial cancer clinically limited to the uterus and/or cervix undergoing TLH-BSO or TAH-BSO, aortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy(APLNDx), peritoneal washings with/without omentectomy from May 1996 to April /2006. A "senior" surgeon taught three board-certified or board-eligible gynecologic oncologists a "new-to-them" technique to perform both TLH-BSO and TAH-BSO with APLNDx using argon beam coagulation and endoscopic staplers in patients with early-stage endometrial cancer. The main outcome measures were: a) length of surgery; b) surgical measures, e.g. lymph node count; and c) peri-operative morbidity. A comparison of outcomes with the "senior" surgeon was undertaken. The learning curve characteristics were analyzed by ANOVA and curve estimate analysis. Results The mean operative times associated with learning a new technique to perform TLH-BSO with APLNDx and TAH-BSO with APLNDx were 155.39+/−26.32 and 102.28+/−34.22 min, respectively, with significant improvement after 20 cases (150.27+/−26.68 vs. 172.30+/−22.28, p =0.030) and 30 cases (93.30+/−24.97 vs. 124.63+/−29.73, p =0.030), respectively. Intra- and peri-operative morbidity and lymph node count were unaffected by experience. Conclusion While mean operative times decreased, outcome measures of surgical quality were not adversely affected during the learning curve for post-fellowship training while acquiring "new-to-them" surgical techniques. This study emphasizes the need for "senior" surgical supervision during the initial training period. The results of this study are likely transferable to fellowship-trained gynecologic oncologists learning other "new-to-them" surgical techniques and procedures.

The objective of this study was to compare the initial failure sites in patients with endometrial cancer who underwent surgical treatment including pelvic lymphadenectomy with or without para-aortic lymphadenectomy.A retrospective chart review was carried out for 657 endometrial cancer patients with no residual disease after initial treatments including lymphadenectomy at two tertiary centers between 1987 and 2004. Surgical treatment at one institute included pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLX) without para-aortic lymphadenectomy (PALX), while surgical treatment including PLX+PALX was routinely performed at the other institute. We identified patients with recurrence and evaluated initial failure sites. Rates of recurrence in the respective sites were compared according to the type of lymphadenectomy.Of the 657 patients, 103 (15.7%) suffered recurrence. There was no significant difference between the rate of intrapelvic recurrence in the PLX alone group and that in the PLX+PALX group (4.7% vs. 2.9%, p=0.22). The rate of extrapelvic recurrence in the PLX alone group was significantly higher than that in the PLX+PALX group (16.1% vs. 6.2%, p0.0001), and the rate of para-aortic node (PAN) recurrence in the PLX alone group was also significantly higher than that in the PLX+PALX group (5.1% vs. 0.6%, p=0.0004). In the analysis of patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy, the rate of PAN recurrence in the PLX alone group was significantly higher than that in the PLX+PALX group (9.5% vs. 1.3%, p=0.0036).PAN recurrence was a failure pattern peculiar to the PLX alone group. Adjuvant chemotherapy might not be able to replace surgical removal as a treatment for metastatic lymph nodes.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification with SPECT/CT lymphoscintigraphy imaging in the early stage invasive cervical cancer in patients undergoing radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Methods Between March 2007 and June 2009, a prospective consecutive study was designed for SLN mapping. Twenty-two patients with cervical cancer FIGO stage IB1 (n=20) or stage IIA1 (n=2) underwent SLN identification with preoperative SPECT/CT and planar images (technetium–99m colloid albumin injection around the tumor) and posterior intraoperative detection with both blue dye and a handheld or laparoscopic gamma probe. Complete pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed in all cases by open (n=2) or laparoscopic (n=20) surgery. Results In the present series, a total of 35 SLN were detected with planar images and 40 SLN were identified and well located by SPECT/CT lymphoscintigraphy (median 2.0 nodes per patient). In 5/22 patients (22.7%) SPECT/CT procedure improves the number of localized SLN. Intraoperatively, 57 SLNs were identified, with a median of 3 SLNs per patient by gamma probe (a total of 53 hot nodes) and a median of 2 nodes per patient after blue dye injection (a total of 42 blue nodes). Microscopic nodal metastases (eight nodes, corresponding to four patients) were confirmed in 18.18% of cases; all these lymph nodes were previously detected as SLN. The remaining 450 nodes, including SLNs, following complete pelvic lymphadenectomy, were histologically negative. Conclusions Sentinel lymph node detection is improved by SPECT/CT imaging because of the increased number of SLN detected and the better tridimensional anatomic location, allowing easier intra-operative detection with gamma probe and showing, in this series, a 100% negative predictive value.

Cervical cancer ranks as the second most frequent cancer in women in the world, and nodal metastasis seems to be the first step of tumor spread in most cases. Since lymph node involvement is a major prognostic factor in cervical carcinoma, lymphatic spread of cervical cancer has been one of the most studied surgical topics in gynecologic oncology. Traditionally, lymph nodes stations have been accurately analyzed, improving surgical techniques of nodal dissection, which have been more and more intensive during years with the aim of improving survival. Oppositely, on the basis of recent acquisitions in cancer immunology and new anti-cancer immunotherapies and vaccines, the importance of lymph nodes has been recently reconsidered. Unfortunately, lymph node status is still difficult to be assessed pre-operatively with a high level of accuracy, and intra-operatively by sentinel node techniques, which remain inadequate for many aspects according to several gynecologic oncologists. The absence of definitive evidence of survival advantage given by extensive lymphadenectomy in all cervical cancer cases indicates that nodal dissection should be performed on the objective risk of node metastasis in each case. To date, the mainstay of detecting lymph node metastasis is still the histologic evaluation, therefore a proper resection of mostly involved lymph nodes remains a crucial surgical step when treating cervical cancer.

The vaginal radical hysterectomy was initially described by the surgeon Anton Pawlik [1], but it was popularized by the Austrian Frederik Schauta [2], who described this surgical treatment option for patients with cervical cancer. The procedure was associated with a decreased postoperative mortality when compared with the abdominal route that was championed by Wetheim [3]. Schauta's technique was eventually modified by Peham and Americh [4] and Stockel [5]. As pelvic lymphadenectomy became incorporated into the surgical treatment of this disease, however, the vaginal approach gave way to the abdominal radical hysterectomy, which allowed for both procedures to be performed through one incision. To counter this return to the abdominal approach, the extraperitoneal pelvic lymphadenectomy was introduced into the management scheme, but this still required multiple incisions. The laparoscopic lymphadenectomy was introduced by Dargent in 1987 [6]. This allowed the vaginal approach to be used without sacrificing the benefits of a minimally invasive approach. Over time, the extent of the laparoscopic dissection expanded, and now, many perform the entire procedure laparoscopically.

Although laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy has several potential advantages for patients with early-stage cervical cancer, laparotomy still is viewed as the standard approach because laparoscopic surgery may not remove a sufficient number of diseased lymph nodes. This randomized study compared three surgical approaches in 168 consecutive patients proved to have invasive cervical carcinoma, all of whom were scheduled for radical hysterectomy and systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy. The participants, aged 70 or younger, had stage IB1 or stage IB2-IIB disease and had responded objectively to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The methods evaluated were transperitoneal (TPL), extraperitoneal (EPL), and laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy (LPL). Conventional radical hysterectomy was performed in all cases, and patients were evaluated 15 days and 1 and 2 months after surgery. The final study population numbered 161 patients. Both TPL and EPL removed an adequate number of pelvic lymph nodes in all instances, but LPL failed to do so in three instances. Overall feasibility, estimated on an intention-to-treat basis, exceeded 90% for all three procedures. Operating times for lymphadenectomy were longest for LPL, averaging 75 minutes, and least (averaging 54 minutes) for EPL. Average times in hospital ranged from 3.1 days for LPL to 5.6 days for TPL. Considering the entire operation, comparable proportions of patients in all three groups-approximating one in five-required blood transfusion. Lymphocysts were identified in 11 % of all patients. A few patients in each group had mild paresthesias that responded to physiatric therapy. The investigators conclude that, because laparoscopic radical hysterectomy is not yet a standardized procedure, the best approach to treating cervical cancer, once radical surgery is decided on, consists of EPL plus radical hysterectomy. Like LPL, EPL can shorten the time in hospital compared to TPL.

Objective The aim of the study was to analyze the accuracy, the positive and negative predictive values, the specificity, and the sensitivity of the pelvic node frozen section examination in endometrial (EC) and cervical cancer (CC) patients. An accurate evaluation of the results of the frozen section examination in patients submitted to neoadjuvant treatments (chemotherapy and radiochemotherapy), and a comparison between specialist and general pathologist results were performed. Methods A total of 186 consecutive patients with endometrial [52 cases (27.9%)] and cervical [134 cases (72.1%)] cancer underwent surgery at our Department between January 2000 and September 2003. All patients underwent a systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy. While all definitive diagnosis were primarily performed or secondarily revised by the specialist pathologist, the frozen section examination was performed in 65 (35%) cases by the specialist pathologist and in 121 (65%) cases by a general pathologist. Results Two thousand seven hundred eighteen out of a total of 6710 pelvic lymph nodes, which underwent a definitive histological analysis, were also analyzed at intraoperative frozen section examination. In our series, we observed 10 false negative and five false positive cases. Six out of the 10 (60%) false negative cases and two out of the five (40%) false positive were found in the neoadjuvant treated cervical cancer patients. In this subgroup, five out the six (83.3%) false negative and the two false positive diagnoses were made by the general pathologist, while the specialist pathologist registered only one false negative diagnosis. Conclusion Intraoperative examination of pelvic lymph nodes during surgery for endometrial and cervical cancer can be considered a safe procedure in the presence of an expert gynecologic oncological team, and can be safely performed in patients submitted to neoadjuvant treatments.

Objective . The purpose of this study was to examine sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection in patients with early stage cervical cancer using 99m Tc phytate and patent blue dye and to compare our method with published findings utilizing other radioisotopic tracers. Patients and methods . A total of 20 consecutive patients with cervical cancer scheduled for radical hysterectomy and total pelvic lymphadenectomy at our hospital underwent SLN detection study. The day before surgery, lymphoscintigraphy was performed with injection of 99m-technetium ( 99m Tc)-labeled phytate into the uterine cervix. At surgery, patients underwent lymphatic mapping with a gamma-detecting probe and patent blue injected into the same points as the phytate solution. Results . At least one positive node was detected in 18 patients (90%). A total of 46 sentinel nodes were detected (mean, 2.3; range, 1–5). Most sentinel nodes were in one of the following sites: external iliac (21 nodes), obturator (15 nodes), and parametrial (7 nodes). Eleven (24%) sentinel nodes were detected only through radioactivity and two (4%) were detected only with blue dye. The sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value for SLN detection were all 100%. Nine published studies involving 295 patients had a summarized detection rate of 85%. Summarized sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value were 93%, 100%, and 99%, respectively. Conclusion . Combination of 99m Tc phytate and patent blue is effective in SLN detection in early stage cervical cancer.

Lymphoceles are among the most common post-operative complications of pelvic lymphadenectomy, with a reported incidence of 1% to 29% in gynecology oncology. Several studies evaluated the effectiveness of biological glues on reducing lymphoceles, but no data on gynecological patients are available. We evaluated the effectiveness of cyanoacrylic glues (n-butyl cyanoacrylate) (Glubran 2 - GEM s.r.l., Italy) in preventing lymphocele on 30 patients who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy for endometrial or cervical cancer.Single-blind prospective randomized study. Patients were divided into 2 groups: pelvic lymphadenectomy plus n-butyl cyanoacrylate (treatment group: 44 patients) and pelvic lymphadenectomy without n-butyl cyanoacrylate (control group: 44 patients). Primary endpoint was incidence of pelvic lymphocele in the two groups 30 days after surgery, and evaluated with pelvic ultrasound and RMI examination. Secondary endpoints evaluated drainage volume of lymphorrhea 36, 48, 72 and 96 h after surgery.15% in the treatment group and 36.6% in the control group had lymphocele 1month after the procedure (p0.03; RR 0.4 [95% CI 0.152-0.999]). Concerning the secondary outcome in group A the amount of lymphorrhea presented a constant significant decrease during evaluation; on the contrary, in group B, after an initial decrease at 48 h, the amount of lymphorrhea remained unchanged; at all considered times the amount of lymphorrhea resulted significantly greater in controls.Intraoperative application of n-butyl cyanoacrylate seems to reduce lymph production after pelvic lymphadenectomy, providing a useful additional treatment option for reducing drainage volume and preventing lymphocele development after pelvic lymphadenectomy.

Background Radical trachelectomy is a fertility preserving alternative for young women with early stages of cervical cancer. Currently, a technique of abdominal radical approach is used in a few centres. With growing availability of laparoscopy, a novel technique of laparoscopic radical trachelectomy might be an alternative. Case Presented is one case of laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy with radical trachelectomy in young woman with IB cervical cancer. No intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred. Operation time reached 250 min, estimated blood loss was 250 ml. Limited follow-up of 9 months was uneventful and patient indicates normal menstrual pattern and satisfactory sexual intercourse. Conclusion Laparoscopic abdominal radical trachelectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy might be an alternative technique in the treatment of early stages cervical cancer in patients who desire future pregnancy. The procedure is in principle identical to the standard abdominal radical hysterectomy. Centres practising laparoscopic radical hystertectomy can adopt the technique without any special surgical training.

Age adjusted incidence rate for uterine cancers in Norway has increased over last three decades from 12.2/100.000 (1981-90) to 16.0 (2001-2010). Corresponding 5-year survival increased nationally from 76.3% to 83.3%.We wanted to investigate how changes in therapeutic strategies during a 30-year period are reflected in survival changes through careful characterization of a population-based series of 1077 endometrial carcinoma patients from Hordaland County, Norway.In concordance with increase in endometrial cancer nationally, the number of patients treated from Hordaland County rose from 286 (1981-1990) through 307 (1991-2000) to 484 (2001-2010). Main treatment changes included increase in routine pelvic lymphadenectomy from 0% through 9% to 77%, adjuvant chemotherapy from 0% through 3% to 9% and a dramatic reduction in adjuvant radiotherapy from 75% through 48% to 12% (all P0.001). Body mass index increased significantly during this 30-year period, as did the 5-year disease-specific survival: from 75.8 through 80.2 to 86.9% (P=0.002) and overall survival from 67.8 through 71.7 to 77.8% (P=0.03).Improved overall and disease specific survival for endometrial carcinoma patients over the last 30 years is demonstrated in a population-based setting. Increasing BMI among patients and a change in treatment strategy with reduction in adjuvant radiotherapy and more extensive surgery is demonstrated for the same period.

Objectives: We present a case of a 32-year-old patient who previously underwent simple hysterectomy and bilateral pelvic sentinel lymph node biopsy for epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix. Pathology showed a 5-mm residual tumor at the cervix and the patient was referred for laparoscopic radical nerve-sparing parametrectomy and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy. Methods: This video shows the complete technique of the surgery, including patient and team positioning, trocar placement, and step-bystep dissection of planes, vessels, nerves, and other pelvic structures. Snapshots of the surgery with all relevant anatomic structures identified are shown during the video. Conclusions: This didactic surgical film demonstrates that parametrectomy, when systematically performed, is a reliable procedure with minimal complications.

0090-8258/$ see front matter © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ygyno.2006.10.035 The radical vaginal trachelectomy is begun by delineating an adequate vaginal margin (usually 1–2 cm). Six to eight Kocher clamps are placed circumferentially around the cervix on the vaginal mucosa. When traction is placed on these clamps, it produces a double fold of the vaginal wall. A dilute solution of vasopressin is used to liberally inject the vaginal mucosa between the Kocher clamps (Fig. 1). This step helps separate the planes of dissection. The assistants place 2 Brieski vaginal wall retractors at the 2 and 10 o'clock positions. A scalpel is then used to circumferentially incise the vaginal mucosa. The lateral incisions are shallow, and the anterior and posterior incisions are through the

Objective. At present, no clear guidelines for the treatment of patients with vulvar cancer and positive groin nodes exist. In general, the decision for additional pelvic radiation is based on findings by imaging techniques and/or the number of groin nodes involved. The aim of this case series was to demonstrate that histologic result of laparoscopic removed pelvic lymph nodes can be used to select patients who should not undergo pelvic irradiation. Methods. From July 1997 to October 2004, 12 consecutive patients with primary or recurrent vulvar cancer underwent laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy following primary or secondary surgical treatment. Results. There were 8 patients with primary cancer of the vulva and 4 patients with recurrent disease in the inguinal and/or pelvic lymph nodes. The mean age was 61 (26–83) years and the mean body-mass-index was 27.1 (20.8–36.6). Positive groin nodes were found in five patients on the right side and in five patients on the left side; in one patient, positive groin nodes were present in both sides. In another patient with a history of vulvar cancer and positive groin nodes the CT-scan indicated the presence of positive iliac and paraaortic lymph nodes. Only in two patients tumor involved lymph nodes were diagnosed by laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy (one left-sided, one right-sided). The number of harvested pelvic lymph nodes was 13.7 (5–20) in unilateral and 27.8 (16–37) in bilateral lymphadenectomy. The histologic examination of removed pelvic lymph nodes confirmed pelvic radiation in only 2 out of 12 patients, whereas 10 patients were spared from whole pelvis irradiation. Conclusion. With respect to small sample size, laparoscopic lymphadenectomy seems to be a good tool to avoid unnecessary pelvic radiation in patients with vulvar cancer and confirmed positive groin nodes.

Background. Non-puerperal uterine inversion is rare, and a case associated with endometrial carcinoma is even rarer. It is difficult to diagnose the condition preoperatively and most cases are diagnosed at surgery. Case. We describe a case of uterine inversion associated with endometrial carcinoma. Initially, the patient was thought to have a cervical adenocarcinoma and treated with chemotherapy; however, a diagnosis of uterine inversion was made with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography during pre-surgical chemotherapy. We performed total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy. Conclusion. MRI and ultrasonography can be extremely useful tools for diagnosing uterine inversion.