[Is sentinel node biopsy feasible in endometrial cancer? Results in 26 patients].

Objectives: To evaluate detection rate, topography and false negatives of sentinel lymph node in endometrial cancer.
Material and Methods: Twenty-six patients were included. Lymphoscintigraphy was performed the day before surgery. Preoperative detection of the sentinel lymph node was performed with cervical blue dye injection and a gamma probe. Separate pathology examinations were performed for sentinel and non-sentinel lymph nodes. Sentinel lymph nodes were examined with hematoxylin-eosin-safran stain, and immunohistochemistry if negative.
Results: Twenty-six patients had a positive lymphoscintigraphy. Preoperative detection was successful in 21 patients (80.8%): the detection rate with isotopic method, 19 cases (73.1%), was superior to the dye detection, 15 cases (57.7%). No isolated lombo-aortic sentinel lymph nodes were observed, and all sentinel lymph nodes were in the ilio-obturator region. Seven patients presented lymphatic spread, and 4 of them had at least one sentinel node. There was one micrometastasis in sentinel node, associated with isolated tumoral cells in pelvic lymphadenectomy. There was no false negative of sentinel node.
Conclusion: The biopsy of sentinel lymph node is a feasible procedure in endometrial cancer. There was one micrometastatic sentinel node. However there was no isolated lomboaortic sentinel lymph node in this study.