Sentinel lymph node detection in skin cancer patients using real-time fluorescence navigation with indocyanine green: preliminary experience.

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy has become the most widely used procedure to determine the regional lymph node status of patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma, and its application has spread rapidly to other malignancies such as squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, breast cancer and gastric cancer. OBJECTIVE: SLN detection was performed in skin cancer patients using a newly developed real-time fluorescence navigation system with indocyanine green (ICG). METHODS: SLN biopsy was performed by this method in 10 skin cancer patients (seven with melanoma and three with squamous cell carcinoma). After ICG was injected intradermally around the tumours, the lymphatic drainage was detected and the SLNs were identified by real-time fluorescence imaging. RESULTS: The SLNs and their associated subcutaneous lymphatics were successfully identified in all patients. Fluorescence from SLNs was detected by this system for at least 3 hours after the injection of ICG. CONCLUSION: SLN biopsy using ICG fluorescence achieves a high identification rate and allows effective observation for several hours. This method may become a useful option for the detection of SLNs in patients with skin cancer.