ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Although sentinel lymph node biopsy technique is the gold standard in the management of malignant melanoma and is gradually replacing conventional axillary dissection in breast cancer, its use in colorectal cancer is still controversial. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of sentinel node biopsy in the management of colorectal carcinoma. METHODS: Consecutive patients with colorectal carcinoma without preoperative evidence of nodal or distant metastatic disease were included. Intraoperative subserosal injection of 1 mL of isosulfan blue (Lymphazurin) was performed around the tumor in cases of colon cancer and ex-vivo infiltration was used for rectal cancer after resection was completed. Blue stained nodes were dissected and submitted for routine pathology exam. If nodes were deemed negative for neoplasm, immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin was performed. The specimen and non-stained nodes were resected and processed in the usual fashion. Sensitivity and negative predictive value were calculated and adverse effects to the blue dye were registered. RESULTS: Ten patients were included with at least one sentinel lymph node identified in each. Mean number of sentinel and non-sentinel lymph nodes were 2.5 and 15.6 per patient, respectively. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of the sentinel node after immunohistochemistry were both 100%. There were no adverse effects caused by the dye. CONCLUSIONS: Sentinel lymph node biopsy technique in colorectal cancer is feasible, has a high diagnostic accuracy and is harmless.
Subject(s)
Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology , Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Feasibility Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
Background. Although sentinel lymph node biopsy technique is the gold standard in the management of malignant melanoma and is gradually replacing conventional axillary dissection in breast cancer, its use in colorectal cancer is still controversial. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of sentinel node biopsy in the management of colorectal carcinoma. Methods. Consecutive patients with colorectal carcinoma without preoperative evidence of nodal or distant metastatic disease were included. Intraoperative subserosal injection of 1mL of isosulfan blue (Lymphazurin ®) was performed around the tumor in cases of colon cancer and ex-vivo infiltration was used for rectal cancer after resection was completed. Blue stained nodes were dissected and submitted for routine pathology exam. If nodes were deemed negative for neoplasm, immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin was performed. The specimen and non-stained nodes were resected and processed in the usual fashion. Sensitivity and negative predictive value were calculated and adverse effects to the blue dye were registered. Results. Ten patients were included with at least one sentinel lymph node identified in each. Mean number of sentinel and non-sentinel lymph nodes were 2.5 and 15.6 per patient, respectively. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of the sentinel node after immunohistochemistry were both 100%. There were no adverse effects caused by the dye. Conclusions. Sentinel lymph node biopsy technique in colorectal cancer is feasible, has a high diagnostic accuracy and is harmless.
Introducción. A pesar que la técnica de biopsia del ganglio centinela es el estándar de oro en el manejo del melanoma maligno y que gradualmente está reemplazando la disección axilar convencional en el cáncer mamario, existe controversia en el uso de esta técnica en cáncer colorrectal. El objetivo de este estudio es demostrar la factibilidad y seguridad de la técnica del ganglio centinela en el manejo del carcinoma colorrectal. Métodos. Pacientes consecutivos con diagnóstico de carcinoma colorrectal sin evidencia preoperatoria de metástasis ganglionares o distantes fueron incluidos en el estudio. Se realizó inyección subserosa intraoperatoria de 1 mL de azul de isosulfán (Lymphazurin ®) alrededor del tumor en los casos de cáncer colónico e infiltración ex vivo fue empleada en casos de cáncer rectal una vez finalizada la resección. Los ganglios teñidos de color azul fueron disecados y enviados para examen rutinario de patología. Si los ganglios eran negativos para neoplasia se estudiaban mediante inmunohistoquímica para citoqueratinas. Los ganglios no teñidos fueron resecados y procesados de manera rutinaria. Se calcularon la sensibilidad y el valor predictivo negativo y se registraron los efectos nocivos del colorante azul. Resultados. Se incluyeron diez pacientes, encontrándose por lo menos un ganglio centinela en cada uno de ellos. El promedio de ganglios centinela y no-centinela identificados por paciente fue de 2.5 y 15.6, respectivamente. Tanto la sensibilidad como el valor predictivo negativo del ganglio centinela después de la tinción con inmunohistoquímica fueron del 100%. No se registraron efectos adversos causados por el colorante. Conclusiones. El uso de la técnica de biopsia del ganglio centinela en cáncer colorrectal es factible, tiene alta exactitud diagnóstica y es inocua.