Validation of single-photon emission computed tomography with computed tomography and lymphoscintigraphy for sentinel lymph node identification in cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To compare single-photon emission computed tomography with computed tomography (SPECT/CT) and lymphoscintigraphy (LSG) for the detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in patients with early-stage cervical cancer.

METHODS

This hospital-based, single-center, retrospective study included 128 patients with cervical cancer (aged >18 years) treated between 2014 and 2022. Injection of 99 m Technetium-labeled phytate into the uterine cervix was used to detect pelvic SLNs. SNL identification rates and locations were analyzed for preoperative LSG and SPECT/CT.

RESULTS

Median age and body mass index of patients were 40 years (range, 20-78 years) and 21.7 kg/m (range, 16-40 kg/m ), respectively. There was no significant difference in overall identification rates (identification of at least one SLN) of SLNs between SPECT/CT (91%) and LSG (88%). There was no significant difference in bilateral SLN identification rates between SPECT/CT (66%) and LSG (65%). A total of 219 pelvic SLNs (110 right and 109 left hemipelvis) were identified by SPECT/CT; the most frequent locations were the obturator (122 SLNs, 56%) and external iliac (67 SLNs, 30%).

CONCLUSION

SPECT/CT and LSG showed high SLN identification rates in patients with cervical cancer, and there was no significant difference in overall or bilateral SLN identification rates between the two techniques.