Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Gynecological Cancer & Lymphedema

Lymphadenectomy has been routinely performed in gynecologic cancer surgery. Complete lymphadenectomy can result in low leg lymphedema which decreases the quality of life of the patients. Recently, sentinel lymph biopsy (SLNB) is widely performed instead of complete lymphadenectomy, especially in endometrial cancer. The accuracy of SLNB in detecting lymph node metastasis is higher than the conventional method because of pathologic ultra-staging from key nodes through lymphatic mapping. However, the prospective data about the oncologic outcome and low leg edema from SLNB are rare yet. This document is to introduce the concept of sentinel lymph node biopsy to the practitioners who deal with low leg edema.