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Purpose: To determine the exportability of the criteria defined by the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0011 trial for selecting patients who are eligible for omitting completion axillary lymph node dissection (cALND) after a positive sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy result and to investigate whether not following the Z0011 criteria might affect patient outcomes., Methods: From a multicenter database, we selected 188 patients with positive SLNs and then excluded patients with positive SLNs on immunohistochemistry only. We retrospectively applied the Z0011 criteria and grouped the patients as eligible or ineligible for omitting cALND. The eligible group was compared with the cohort included in the Z0011 trial and with the ineligible group. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were calculated for each group, and univariate analyses assessed associations between the groups and clinicopathological variables., Results: The final analysis involved 125 patients with positive SLNs. Eighty-seven patients (69.6 %) were potentially eligible for omitting cALND. The estrogen receptor status, T stage, grade, and number of positive non-SLNs were not statistically different between the eligible group and the Z0011 cohort. The ineligible group had significantly more positive non-SLNs (P = 0.01) and a lower 5-year overall survival rate than the eligible group (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: The similarity of clinical characteristics between the Z0011 trial cohort and our eligible group confirms the exportability of these criteria to another population. The worse prognosis of patients who did not meet the Z0011 criteria suggests prudence before disregarding or enlarging broadening the indications for omitting cALND.

Background: Positive wide local excision margins are the most important risk factor of local breast-carcinoma recurrence. Shaving additional margins could lower the need for re-excisions when wide local excision margins are positive and cavity margins are negative., Materials and Methods: This retrospective study, from January 2007 to December 2008, included 99 women with breast carcinomas who underwent wide local excision with 4 additional, systematically shaved, surgical cavity margins. All therapeutic decisions concerning post-wide local excision treatment were made by consensus during multidisciplinary meetings., Results: This systematic cavity-shaving strategy avoided 25 re-excisions (25.3%), and 6 patients required new surgery because of carcinoma found in the additional cavity-shaving margins, despite negative wide local excision margins. No preoperative factor predictive of positive cavity margins was identified., Conclusions: Systematic shaving of additional cavity margins changed the surgical management after breast-conservation treatment.

Background: Lymph node status is a major prognostic factor and a criterion for adjuvant therapy in endometrial cancer. The sentinel lymph node (SN) procedure has emerged as a possible alternative to systematic lymphadenectomy. The aims of this study were to determine the detection rate and the false-negative rate of the SN procedure, and its contribution to the staging of women with endometrial cancer., Methods: Forty-six patients with endometrial cancer underwent the sentinel node procedure followed by pelvic lymphadenectomy. SNs were detected with a dual or single labelling method in 39 and 7 cases, respectively. All SNs were analysed by both hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and immunochemistry., Results: SNs were identified in 40 patients (87%), whose mean number of SN was 2.6 (range 1-5). The SN detection rate was significantly lower with the single label than with the dual label (p = 0.01). Ten women (25%) had a positive SN on final histology (i.e. there were no false negatives). A correlation was observed between lymph node involvement and both histological grade (p = 0.01) and lymphovascular space involvement (p = 0.001). The stage predicted by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging correlated poorly with the Federation International of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage. Among the ten women with a positive SN, three of the four women with a grade 1 tumour at biopsy had grade 2-3 disease on final histology. Seven of the ten women with a positive SN underwent external pelvic radiotherapy, based solely on their SN involvement., Conclusion: The SN procedure can reliably determine lymph node status in women with endometrial cancer. Given the limited capacity of MR imaging to detect myometrial invasion, and of biopsy to determine histological grade, our results support the systematic use of the SN procedure in women with endometrial cancer, including those with presumed early-stage disease and/or well-differentiated tumours.

Objective: To evaluate the contribution of the sentinel node (SN) procedure followed by pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy to determine lymph node status in women with locally advanced cervical cancer., Patients and Methods: A total of 21 women with locally advanced cervical cancer underwent a first laparoscopic SN procedure and pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCR). Laparoscopic radical hysterectomy was performed after CCR when the pelvic and paraaortic nodes were not involved., Results: SNs were detected by means of lymphoscintigraphy in 10 women (47.6%) and intra-operatively in 14 women (66.6%). Of the latter 14 patients, 9 (64%) had an involved SN and 1 of the remaining 5 had pelvic non-SN metastases. The SN false-negative rate was 10%. At final histology, 13 of the 21 women (62%) had lymph node metastases. The total number of recovered pelvic non-SNs was 262, and 10 nodes in 8 women were involved. The total number of paraaortic non-SNs was 255, and 2 nodes in 2 women were involved., Conclusion: This study shows the poor correlation between pre-operative lymphoscintigraphy and surgical SN mapping in women with locally advanced cervical cancer. A high proportion of women had SN metastases, underlining the importance of multiple sectioning and immunohistochemical staining of SNs.

Background: To evaluate the feasibility after 5 years experience of a laparoscopic sentinel node (SN) procedure with combined radioisotopic and patent blue labeling in patients with cervical cancer., Methods: Sixty-seven patients (median age 48.9 years) with cervical cancer underwent a laparoscopic SN procedure using an endoscopic gamma probe, after both radioactive and patent blue injections. After the procedure, all the patients underwent complete laparoscopic pelvic/para-aortic lymphadenectomy., Results: At least one SN was identified in 57 patients (85.1%). According to the Stage, the SN identification rate was 91.2% in early-stage cervical cancer and 78.5% in locally advanced cervical cancer. The mean number of SN was 2.3 per patient (range 1-5). A total of 129 SNs were removed. Lymph node metastasis involvement was identified in the 20 SNs (15.5%) from 14 patients (24.6%). Nine of the 14 patients had at least one macrometastases, three patients presented micrometastases in H&S, and two patients presented isolated single cells. Six patients presented a pelvic non-SN involvement including two patients whose SNs were uninvolved. The false-negative SNs rate was 12.5% (two patients out of 16). Both patients have locally advanced cervical cancer., Conclusion: This study confirms that laparoscopic SN detection with a combination of radiocolloid and patent blue is accurate in patients with early cervical cancer to assess pelvic lymph node status.

Background: SN detection based on combined blue dye and radiocolloid labeling can reliably show lymph node status in cervical cancer, but the influence of prior neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy has not yet been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy on the accuracy of a dual-labeling laparoscopic sentinel node (SN) procedure in patients with cervical cancer., Methods: Between July 2001 and June 2003, 26 patients (mean age, 50.3 years) with cervical cancer underwent a laparoscopic SN procedure based on dual labeling with patent blue and radiocolloid. After the SN procedure, all the patients underwent complete laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy and laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (n=19), the Schauta-Amreich operation (n=5), or trachelectomy (n=2). The results of the SN procedure were compared between 11 patients who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and 15 patients who did not receive neoadjuvant treatment., Results: The SN identification rates were 100% in the 11 patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and 93.3% in the 15 patients who did not receive adjuvant therapy. A total of 59 SNs were removed. Eight SNs (13.6%) from five patients (19.2%) were found to be metastatic at the final histological assessment. Three SN involvements were detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining of the SN. Immunohistochemical studies identified five metastatic SNs in three patients. There were no false-negative SN results., Conclusions: This study suggests that SN detection with a combination of radiocolloid and patent blue is feasible and accurate in patients with cervical cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy or primary surgery. The combination of laparoscopy and the SN procedure permits minimally invasive management of cervical cancer.

Background: We assessed the feasibility of a laparoscopic sentinel node (SN) procedure based on the combined use of radiocolloid and patent blue labeling in patients with endometrial cancer., Methods: Seventeen patients (median age, 69 years) with endometrial cancer of stage I (16 patients) or stage II (1 patient) underwent a laparoscopic SN procedure based on combined radiocolloid and patent blue injected pericervically. After the SN procedure, all patients underwent complete laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy and either laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (16 patients) or laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (1 patient)., Results: SNs (mean number per patient, 2.6; range, 1-4) were identified in 16 (94.1%) of the 17 patients. Macrometastases were detected in three SNs from two patients by hematoxylin and eosin staining. In three other patients, immunohistochemical analysis identified six micrometastatic SNs and one SN containing isolated tumor cells. No false-negative SN results were observed., Conclusions: An SN procedure based on a combination of radiocolloid and patent blue is feasible in patients with early endometrial cancer. Combined use of laparoscopy and this SN procedure permits minimally invasive management of endometrial cancer.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the capacity of positron emission tomography (PET) with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) to determine axillary lymph node status in patients with breast cancer undergoing sentinel node (SN) biopsy., Methods: Thirty-two patients with breast cancer and clinically negative axillary nodes were recruited. All patients underwent FDG-PET before SN biopsy. After SN biopsy, all patients underwent complete axillary lymph node (ALN) dissection., Results: The SNs were identified in all patients. Fourteen patients (43.8%) had metastatic SNs (macrometastatic in seven, micrometastatic in six, and isolated tumor cells in one). The false-negative rate of SN biopsy was 6.6% (1 in 15). FDG-PET identified lymph node metastases in 3 of the 14 patients with positive SNs. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of FDG-PET in the diagnosis of axillary metastasis were 20%, 100%, 100%, and 58.6%, respectively. No false-positive findings were obtained with FDG-PET., Conclusions: This study demonstrates the limitations of FDG-PET in the detection of ALN metastases in patients with early breast cancer. In contrast, FDG-PET seems to be a specific method for staging the axilla in breast cancer. SN biopsy can be avoided in patients with positive FDG-PET, in whom complete ALN dissection should be the primary procedure.

Laparoscopy is the standard method for the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian dermoid cysts, which represent 10% to 15% of all ovarian tumors. This procedure offers many advantages including less postoperative pain, lower risk of wound complication, early ambulation, and more rapid convalescence. The risk of adhesion formation also is reduced. However, in the case of an ovarian dermoid cyst, the laparoscopic approach could result in chemical peritonitis caused by the spilled contents of a ruptured dermoid cyst. We report a case of chemical peritonitis after rupture of an ovarian dermoid cyst during laparoscopy. Two operations were required, and medical treatment was not beneficial. We discuss a possible new medication for the treatment of this complication and compare this case with other recent reports.