European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging
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Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging · Jul 2019
Perioperative PET/CT lymphoscintigraphy and fluorescent real-time imaging for sentinel lymph node mapping in early staged colon cancer.
Using current optical imaging techniques and gamma imaging modalities, perioperative sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification in colon cancer can be difficult when the SLN is located near the primary tumour or beneath a thick layer of (fat) tissue. Sentinel lymph node mapping using PET/CT lymphoscintigraphy combined with real-time visualization of the SLN using near-infrared imaging has shown promising results in several types of cancer and may facilitate the successful identification of the number and location of the SLN in early colon cancer. ⋯ This study shows the potential of preoperative PET/CT lymphoscintigraphy to inform the surgeon about the number and location of SLNs in patients with early colon cancer. The additional use of NIR-imaging allows for intraoperative identification of these SLNs which are invisible with conventional white light imaging. Further research is necessary to improve and simplify the technique. We recommend perioperative SLN identification using a preoperative lymphoscintigraphy scan just before surgery approximately 24 h after injection. Additionally a postoperative scan of the specimen combined with intraoperative real-time NIR-imaging should be performed.