Sentinel lymph node biopsies (SLNB) are more reliable position-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) for assessing lymph node metastases among young patients with sarcoma, according to a study published in Cancer.1
Identifying nodal metastases in this patient group is important for determining treatment. Researchers enrolled 28 young patients, which included pediatric patients through young adults, to determine whether SLNB with single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT-CT) is a more effective test than PET-CT.
Three of the 7 patients with nodal metastases identified by SLNB tested normal with PET-CT scans. An image developed by a PET-CT scan that indicated nodal metastases was only 29% likely to be correct.
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The authors conclude that SLNB is superior to PET-CT for determining whether a young patient with sarcoma has nodal metastases. No patient who underwent SLNB had any biopsy-related infections.
Reference
- Wagner LM, Kremer N, Gelfand MJ. Detection of lymph node metastases in pediatric and adolescent/young adult sarcoma: Sentinel lymph node biopsy versus fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography imaging—A prospective trial. Cancer. 2016 Aug 26. doi: 10.1002/cncr.30282 [Epub ahead of print]
