[Sentinel lymph node mapping in colorectal cancer: study of 45 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping technique in colorectal cancer and its feasibility and utility. METHODS: The dye lymphazurin was injected subserosally around the tumor during operation in 43 colorectal cancer, 20 males and 25 females, aged 49.5 (27 - 72) so as to find the SLNs. Fast-frozen pathology and routine pathology were performed too. RESULTS: SLN was successfully identified in 42 of the 45 patients, with a successful biopsy rate of 93.3%. In these 45 patients, there were 250 lymph nodes examined, of which 52 nodes were identified as SLNs. The sensitivity was 90.4% (20/22), the specificity was 95.2% [(20 + 20)/42], and the false negative rate was 15% (3/20). CONCLUSION: SLN mapping in colorectal cancer plays an important role in diagnosing metastasis of lymph nodes, and can be used to direct the clinical surgery.