title: Radio-guided sentinel lymph node detection and lymph node mapping in invasive urinary bladder cancer: a prospective clinical study.
abstract: To investigate the possibility of detecting sentinel lymph nodes (SNs) in patients with urinary bladder cancer (BCa) intra-operatively and whether the histopathological status of the identified SNs reflected that of the lymphatic field.
  
  
  
  We studied 103 patients with BCa pathological stage T1-T4 who were treated with cystectomy and pelvic lymph node (LN) dissection during 2005-2011 at the Department of Urology, Linköping University Hospital. Radioactive tracer Nanocoll 70 MBq and blue dye were injected into the bladder wall around the primary tumour before surgery. SNs were detected ex vivo during the operation with a handheld Geiger probe (Gamma Detection System; Neoprobe Corp., Dublin, OH, USA). All LNs were formalin-fixed, sectioned three times, mounted on slides and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. An experienced uropathologist evaluated the slides.
  
  
  
  The mean age of the patients was 69 years, and 80 (77%) were male. Pathological staging was T1-12 (12%), T2-20 (19%), T3-48 (47%) and T4-23 (22%). A mean (range) number of 31 (7-68) nodes per patient were examined, totalling 3 253 nodes. LN metastases were found in 41 patients (40%). SNs were detected in 83 of the 103 patients (80%). Sensitivity and specificity for detecting metastatic disease by SN biopsy (SNB) varied between LN stations, with average values of 67% and 90%, respectively. LN metastatic density (LNMD) had a significant prognostic impact; a value of ≥8% was significantly related to shorter survival. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) occurred in 65% of patients (n = 67) and was significantly associated with shorter cancer-specific survival (P < 0.001).
  
  
  
  We conclude that SNB is not a reliable technique for peri-operative localization of LN metastases during cystectomy for BCa; however, LNMD has a significant prognostic value in BCa and may be useful in the clinical context and in BCa oncological and surgical research. LVI was also found to be a prognostic factor.
authors: Department of Urology, Region Östergötland, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.|Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, sweden.
authors: Firas
authors: F
authors: Aljabery
authors: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, sweden.|Endocrine and Sarcoma Surgery Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Ivan
authors: I
authors: Shabo
authors: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, sweden.|Department of Pathology, Region Östergötland, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.
authors: Hans
authors: H
authors: Olsson
authors: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, sweden.|Department of Surgery, Region Östergötland, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.
authors: Oliver
authors: O
authors: Gimm
authors: Department of Urology, Region Östergötland, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.|Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, sweden.
authors: Staffan
authors: S
authors: Jahnson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015653:Cystectomy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
keywords: #BladderCancer; #blcsm; cystectomy; lymph node metastasis; prognostic factors; sentinel node