Determination of sentinel lymph nodes in gynecological cancer using the radiopharmaceutical Sentiscan. A case series

Abstract

Background. Lymphadenectomy in patients with malignant female genital neoplasms is a necessary step of surgical treatment, the implementation of which allows assessing the the metastatic involvement of the removed lymph nodes and determining indications for postoperative treatment. Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy with ultrastaging method appears to be a good alternative to standard regional lymph node removal with similar long-term oncologic outcomes and significantly lower rates of postoperative complications. Aim. To present the possibility of using a domestic radiopharmaceutical labeled with technetium-99m (Sentiscan) in patients with gynecological cancer. Materials and methods. A series of clinical cases of the use of Sentiscan during SLN biopsy in three patients suffering from cancer of the uterus and vulva is presented. Results. 1824 hours before the operation, 0.4 ml of the prepared solution of radiopharmaceutical 99mTc-Sentiscan with a total activity of 150 MBq was injected into the cervix of the uterus with tumors of the uterine body and into the vulva. After 2 hours, SPECT/CT was performed on the Discovery 670 DR (GE) of the abdomen and pelvis, followed by 3D reconstruction of images for better intraoperative navigation. Intraoperatively, a portable gamma detector Rad Pointer Gamma (Medikor Pharma Ural) was used to identify sentinel lymph nodes. Sentinel lymph nodes were removed in all patients, followed by a control assessment of the gamma radiation level, histological and immunohistochemical studies using panCK, CK18 markers. Conclusion. Presented clinical cases demonstrated high efficacy of sentinel lymph node mapping using radiopharmaceutical Sentiscan. Further studies are necessary for wide implementation of this technology in clinical practice.

Keywords

• lymphadenectomy
• endometrial cancer
• vulvar cancer
• sentinel lymph nodes
• radiopharmaceutical
• sentiscan