title: Lymphoscintigraphy in vulvar cancer: a pilot study.
abstract: This pilot study was undertaken to correlate the patterns of lymphatic drainage demonstrated by vulvar lymphoscintigraphy with the clinical and pathologic findings of the inguino-femoral lymph nodes in patients with vulvar cancer. Ten patients were studied with the radionuclide Technetium-antimony trisulfide colloid (Tc 99m ASC) using a perilesional technique. Images were obtained at 2-4 hr postinjection. Four of the six patients with central lesions or lesions that crossed the midline had bilateral groin uptake, and two had unilateral uptake to the side on which the lesion was predominantly located. Three of these patients, each with suspicious groin nodes bilaterally, had metastatic nodal disease, two unilateral and one bilateral, in whom the uptake was bilateral and unilateral, respectively. Three of the four patients with unilateral lesions had ipsilateral groin drainage only and one had no drainage. Three underwent a bilateral lymphadenectomy and none had metastasis. The pattern of Tc 99m ASC uptake was not predictive of metastatic nodal disease. In two of the three patients with unilateral groin recurrence the side of recurrence was the same as that demonstrated on lymphoscintigraphy, and in the third case there was bilateral drainage. Further data are needed to determine the role of lymphoscintigraphy in the management of vulvar cancer.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida 33612-9497.
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cavanagh
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Fiorica
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Finan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000965:Antimony; D005260:Female; D006119:Groin; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013667:Technetium; D017556:Technetium Compounds; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D017556:Technetium Compounds; C019096:technetium Tc 99m antimony sulfide; D013667:Technetium; D000965:Antimony