OBJECTIVE
To analyze the incidence and risk factors of regional lymph node metastatic lesions, as well as patterns of lymphatic drainage in early gastric cancer using indocyanine green (ICG).
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A prospective single-center non-randomized study included 67 patients with early gastric cancer between 2016 and 2019. All patients underwent endoscopic dissection or surgical resection with sentinel lymph node biopsy.
RESULTS
Regional lymph node metastatic lesions were detected in 12 (20.2%) out of 59 patients with examined lymph nodes. Of these, 11 out of 12 patients had sentinel lymph node lesion, and only 1 patient had metastasis outside this lymph node. The proposed technique for sentinel lymph node biopsy demonstrated high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy (93.2%, 100% and 98.3%, respectively). Risk factors for metastasis of early gastric cancer to regional lymph nodes were high grade adenocarcinoma (p=0.038) and tumor of anterior gastric wall (p=0.013). All patients with tumors of the upper third of the stomach had sentinel lymph node in the left gastric artery basin. Lymph flow was multidirectional in patients with tumors of the middle third of the stomach. In tumors of the lower third of the stomach, sentinel lymph node was located in the right gastroepiploic artery (50%) and left gastric artery basins (36.84%) (p=0.002). Sentinel lymph node was located in the left gastric artery basin in 84% of patients with tumors of the lesser curvature (p<0.001). Lymphatic drainage was multidirectional if tumors were localized on anterior and posterior walls, as well as on the greater curvature.
CONCLUSION
The proposed technique for sentinel lymph node biopsy demonstrated high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy (93.2%, 100% and 98.3%, respectively). ICG is valuable to identify the first lymph node in lymphatic drainage pathway in 83.6% of cases that makes it possible to assess the regional lymphatic collector. In addition, sentinel lymph node biopsy with ICG contributes to analysis of lymphatic drainage in early gastric cancer. The last one has both scientific and practical significance.
