Minimally invasive surgery versus laparotomy in women with high risk endometrial cancer: A multi-center study performed in Argentina.

Objective: Compare the perioperative outcomes and disease-free survival between minimally invasive and open surgery in women with stage I-II high-risk endometrial cancer. Methods: A retrospective, cohort study was performed involving twenty-four centers from Argentina. Patients with grade 3 endometrioid, serous, clear cell, undifferentiated carcinoma or carcinosarcoma who underwent hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and staging between January 2010-2018 were included. Cox hazard regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves evaluated the association of surgical technique with survival. Results: Of 343 eligible patients, 214 (62 %) underwent open surgery and 129 (38 %) underwent laparoscopic surgery. No significant differences were seen between the two groups with respect to greater or equal grade III Clavien-Dindo postoperative complications (11 % in the open surgery group vs 9 % minimally invasive surgery group; P = 0.34) Minimally invasive surgery was not associated with worse disease-free survival at four years (79.14 % [95 % CI 69.42- 86.08] vs 78.80 % [95 % CI 70.61-84.96]), (p = 0.25), even after creating a Cox proportional model (hazard ratio [HR] 1.08 95 % CI 0.63-1.84); (p = 0.76). Conclusion: There was no difference between postoperative complications nor oncologic outcomes comparing minimally invasive and open surgery among patients with high-risk endometrial cancer.

Laparoscopic Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping with Indocyanine Green Using the iSpies Platform: Initial Experience Argentina.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the initial experience in Argentina using the iSpies indocyanine green (ICG) platform in sentinel lymph node mapping in patients with early-stage cervical cancer. DESIGN: Step-by-step demonstration of the technique using a video and pictures (educative video) (Canadian Task Force classification III). SETTING: Laparoscopic and robotic sentinel lymph node mapping using ICG has been shown to be safe and feasible; however, in developing countries, the opportunities to use fluorescent imaging through a minimally invasive approach are very limited, given the cost restrictions of acquiring the near-infrared technology and the fluorescent dyes. INTERVENTION: A 47-year-old woman presented with a stage IB1 squamous cervical cancer. Physical examination revealed a 1.5-cm tumor without evidence of parametrial involvement. Magnetic resonance imaging did not show any evidence of metastatic disease. The patient underwent laparoscopic radical hysterectomy with sentinel lymph node mapping. On laparoscopic exposure of the pelvic spaces, a cervical injection of ICG (1 mL superficial and deep) was administered using a spinal needle at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions. Sentinel lymph node mapping was then performed using the ICG (Pulsion Medical Systems, Feldkirchen, Germany) and an iSpies near-infrared camera (Karl Storz Endoskope, Tuttlingen, Germany). Bilateral sentinel lymph nodes were detected on the left external iliac artery and in the right obturator space. Both were confirmed ex vivo. The total operative time was 170 minutes. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were reported, and the patient was discharged at 48 hours after surgery. Estimated blood loss was minimal. Sentinel lymph node mapping alone is not the standard of care in our institution, and thus bilateral lymphadenectomy was performed. Ultrastaging is routinely performed when a sentinel lymph node is evaluated. Final pathology revealed a tumor confined to the cervix, with tumor-free margins, and a total of 10 lymph nodes that were negative for any evidence of disease. Disadvantages of this technology compared with the Pinpoint ICG system (Novadaq Technologies; Bonita Springs, FL) is the lack of simultaneous white vision and fluorescence ICG detection, and the to manually change normal vision to infrared vision. An advantage of the Storz iSpies system is its availability in our country, considering that the technology developed by Novadaq is not yet approved in Argentina. CONCLUSION: Although ICG sentinel lymph node mapping is becoming a standard of care [1,2], a lack of ICG dye or laparoscopic near-infrared technologies could be a deterrent to its use in developing countries. A focus on expanding this technology in countries with limited resources would allow patients the opportunity to avoid the morbidity associated with full lymphadenectomy.

Role of Indocyanine Green in Sentinel Node Mapping in Gynecologic Cancer: Is Fluorescence Imaging the New Standard?

Sentinel lymph node biopsy has proven safe and feasible in a number of gynecologic cancers such as vulvar cancer, cervical cancer, and endometrial cancer. The proposed aim of lymphatic mapping and sentinel node identification is to decrease the associated morbidity of a complete lymphadenectomy, particularly the rate of lymphedema, while also increasing the detection of small tumor deposits in the node. Different tracers have been shown to be useful, including technetium-99 and blue dye, with a detection reported in 66% to 86%. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the use of fluorescent dies such as indocyanine green (ICG). In this report we provide a review of the existing literature regarding the use of ICG in cervical or endometrial cancer with the goal to provide details on its utility and compare it with other tracers.

Ovarian torsion after laparoscopic ovarian transposition in patients with gynecologic cancer: a report of two cases.

Ovarian transposition has proven to be a safe method for preserving ovarian function in young premenopausal women who require pelvic irradiation for treatment of early stage malignancies. We report 2 cases of ovarian torsion after laparoscopic ovarian transposition in 2 young women scheduled for chemotherapy and radiation therapy for treatment of cervical or vaginal cancer. We believe these are the first such cases reported in the literature. In discussions with patients regarding the risks and potential benefits of ovarian transposition, ovarian torsion should be included as a possible, although rare, complication.