Improving sentinel lymph node detection rates in endometrial cancer: How many cases are needed?

Intraoperative lymphatic mapping techniques for endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract in developed countries. The primary treatment for women with endometrial cancer is surgical, as well as the staging of the pathological spread pattern of this carcinoma outside of the uterus. A complete surgical staging should include both pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. The vast majority of endometrial cancers are diagnosed at a very early stage owing to the early presentation as abnormal uterine bleeding. In women with early-stage endometrial cancer the systematic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy may produce additional morbidity without the benefit of appropriate surgical staging. The procedure of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy after lymphatic mapping has been introduced for patients with cancers of various organs in an effort to avoid complete systematic lymphadenectomy whenever possible. In the case of gynecological malignancies, the reliability of the SLN detection procedure has been extensively investigated in vulvar and cervical cancer. This article focuses on the peculiar aspects of intraoperative lymphatic mapping techniques and SLN procedures in endometrial cancer.