ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Analysis of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients was proposed for more accurate staging and tailored lymphadenectomy. The aim of this study was to assess the ability to predict lymph node (LN) involvement through analysis of the SLN with a one-step nucleic acid (OSNA) technique in combination with peritumoral injection of indocyanine green (ICG) and near-infrared (NIR) lymphangiography in CRC patients. METHODS: A total of 34 patients were enrolled. Overall, 51 LNs were analyzed with OSNA. LNs of 17 patients (50%) were examined simultaneously with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and OSNA. RESULTS: SLN analysis of 17 patients examined with H&E and OSNA revealed that OSNA had a higher sensitivity (1 vs. 0.55), higher negative predictive value (1 vs. 0.66) and higher accuracy (100% vs. 76.4%) in predicting LN involvement. Overall, OSNA showed a sensitivity of 0.69, specificity of 1, accuracy of 88.2%, and stage migration of 8.8%. Compared to those who were OSNA (−), OSNA (+) patients had a greater number of LN metastases (4.8 vs. 0.16, P = 0.04), higher G3 rate (44.4% vs. 4%, P = 0.01), more advanced stage of disease (stage III: 77.8% vs. 16%; P = 0.00) and were more rapidly subjected to adjuvant chemotherapy (39.1 days vs. 50.2 days, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: SLN analysis with OSNA in combination with ICG-NIR lymphangiography is feasible and can detect LN involvement in CRC patients. Furthermore, it allows for more accurate staging reducing the delay between surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy.