title: Reliability of sentinel node assay in vulvar cancer: the first Croatian validation trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the reliability of sentinel node assay in early stage vulvar cancer patients by using preoperative lymphoscintigraphy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Technetium-99m colloid albumin was injected intradermally around the tumor for lymphoscintigraphic mapping and intraoperative hand-held gamma probe detection of sentinel nodes. For all patients, sentinel node biopsy was followed by inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy, regardless of the sentinel lymph node status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From December 2008 until May 2011, 25 consecutive patients with T1 or T2 stage of vulvar squamous cell cancer were enrolled. The median age of patients was 69 years (range, 48-79). The detection of sentinel lymph node was successful in all 25 patients. A total of 36 sentinel lymph nodes were harvested and metastatic carcinoma was identified in 12 sentinel nodes from 8 patients. There was 1 patient with metastatic non-sentinel lymph node despite the negative sentinel node. Two patients with negative sentinel nodes proven by routine histopathological examination were positive by immunohistochemical staining. The sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value of sentinel node assay with immunohistochemistry included were 89%, 100%, and 94%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lymphoscintigraphy and sentinel lymph node biopsy under gamma-detecting probe guidance proved to be an easy and reliable method for the detection of sentinel node in early vulvar cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis improves the sensitivity for the detection of regional micrometastases. The sentinel node assay is highly accurate in predicting the status of the remaining inguinofemoral lymph nodes. Our results indicate that patients best suited to SLN assay have had a simple punch biopsy to confirm the diagnosis rather than a previous tumor excision. This technique represents a true advance in the selection of patients for less radical surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Zagreb University Hospital Center, Croatia. josko.zekan@zg.t-com.hr
authors.forename: Josko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zekan
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mutvar
authors.forename: Drazen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huic
authors.forename: Davor
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Petrovic
authors.forename: Deni
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Karelovic
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mitrovic
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017523:Croatia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*