Sentinel node metastasis in the groin detected by technetium-labeled nannocolloid in a patient with cervical cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the first sentinel groin node metastasis detected by technetium-labeled nanocolloid in a patient with cervical carcinoma.

Method: Preoperatively, 60 mBq technetium-labeled nannocolloid was injected at 3 and 9 o'clock in the uterine cervix. Sentinel nodes were detected using a handheld and laparoscopic probe (Navigator) and removed for pathological assessment.

Results: A 52-year-old diagnosed with FIGO stage IIA squamous cervical carcinoma was referred to our unit. On physical examination a bulky cervical tumor and a 1.5-cm enlarged left inguinal lymph node were found. No other abnormalities were seen on pelvic MRI scan and CT scan of the abdomen and lower pelvis. Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy showed that a left groin node and three nodes located in the right obturator fossa were the sentinel nodes. They were easily detected using, respectively, a hand-held and a laparoscopic probe and removed. As both the inguinal and the obturator lymph nodes contained metastatic deposits, the patient was treated with the combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Conclusion: Inguinal lymph nodes can rarely be the sentinel nodes in patients with cancer of the uterine cervix.