First report of lymphatic mapping with isosulfan blue dye and sentinel node biopsy in cervical cancer

Abstract

Background: Sentinel lymph node status provides important information about the status of the regional nodes in various malignant tumors. Our report describes a method of identifying the sentinel lymph nodes in cervical cancer.

Patients and methods: In three cases of early cervical cancer, isosulfan blue dye was injected paracervically into each lateral fornix immediately before surgery.

Results: In all cases we identified two to three blue stained (sentinel) lymph nodes located either at the iliac artery or in the obturatory space. The blue colored nodes were positive for disease, all other pelvic lymph nodes removed were negative.

Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that preoperative lymphatic mapping with vital blue dye is an easy to perform technique to visualize sentinel lymph nodes in cervical cancer. Sentinel lymph node status may be representative of the pelvic lymph node status in cervical cancer and thus could provide important information for further treatment.