Sentinel node mapping for gastric cancer.
BACKGROUND
Sentinel lymph node mapping is the standard of care for patients with malignant melanoma and breast cancer. Recently, SLN mapping was introduced to the field of gastric cancer.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate SLN mapping in patients with gastric cancer.


METHODS
In 43 patients with gastric cancer, open intraoperative subserosal dye injection in four opposing peritumoral points was used. Ten minutes following dye injection, stained LNs were located, marked and examined postoperatively from the surgical specimen.


RESULTS
SLN mapping was performed in 43 patients with gastric cancer; 782 lymph nodes were harvested and evaluated. SLNs were stained in 34 of the patients (79.1%) with a mean of 2.85 SLNs per patient. The false negative rate was 20.9%, the positive predictive value 100%, the negative predictive value 78.6% and the sensitivity 86.9%.


CONCLUSIONS
SLN mapping in patients with gastric cancer is feasible and easy to perform. SLN mapping may mainly affect the extent of lymph node dissection, and to a lesser degree gastric resection. However, more data are needed.
Rabin
Igor
I
Division of Surgery, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel.
Chikman
Bar
B
Halpern
Zvi
Z
Wassermann
Ilan
I
Lavy
Ron
R
Gold-Deutch
Ruth
R
Sandbank
Judith
J
Halevy
Ariel
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*