Alex Mutombo Baleka

Global survey on training and practice in sentinel lymph node mapping for endometrial and cervical cancer among early-career gynecologic oncologists

This survey was designed to evaluate exposure to sentinel mapping for cervical and endometrial cancers in addition to the quality and availability of surgical training in sentinel procedures around the world. Furthermore, we aimed to identify obstacles in surgical training in the sentinel procedure to support the adoption of this technique in clinical practice. A 52-item survey was developed and computed using Qualtrics XM and SurveyMonkey software. The target population were members of the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology and the International Gynecological Cancer Society aged ≤40 years. The study invitation was disseminated within both organizations' database. The survey hyperlink was active between September and December 2022. Respondents using the same Internet Protocol address were excluded to avoid duplication of responses. Responses to <50% questions were excluded. Overall, 238 respondents joined the survey, and 182 (76.5%) provided answers that met the inclusion criteria. Sentinel mapping was implemented for a longer period and used more frequently in endometrial than in cervical carcinoma; 55% of the responders were initially trained in systematic lymph node dissection, and 22% were not yet trained in any lymph node staging. The main challenges in applying sentinel procedure for early-career gynecologic oncologists were no access to hands-on training (n = 22, 12.1%) and no clinical routine in performing systematic pelvic (n = 15, 8.2%) and para-aortic (n = 35, 19.2%) lymph node dissection in case of failed mapping. Although sentinel lymph node biopsy is integrated in cervical and endometrial cancer guidelines, a significant number of institutions do not implement this procedure in clinical routine, and 22% of early-career gynecologic oncologists are not trained in any type of surgical lymph node staging. Support for sentinel mapping in national guidelines and guided training opportunities are needed to apply this method globally.

Consensus on surgical technique for sentinel lymph node dissection in cervical cancer

The purpose of this study was to establish a consensus on the surgical technique for sentinel lymph node (SLN) dissection in cervical cancer. A 26 question survey was emailed to international expert gynecological oncology surgeons. A two-step modified Delphi method was used to establish consensus. After a first round of online survey, the questions were amended and a second round, along with semistructured interviews was performed. Consensus was defined using a 70% cut-off for agreement. Twenty-five of 38 (65.8%) experts responded to the first and second rounds of the online survey. Agreement ≥70% was reached for 13 (50.0%) questions in the first round and for 15 (57.7%) in the final round. Consensus agreement identified 15 recommended, three optional, and five not recommended steps. Experts agreed on the following recommended procedures: use of indocyanine green as a tracer; superficial (with or without deep) injection at 3 and 9 o'clock; injection at the margins of uninvolved mucosa avoiding vaginal fornices; grasping the cervix with forceps only in part of the cervix is free of tumor; use of a minimally invasive approach for SLN biopsy in the case of simple trachelectomy/conization; identification of the ureter, obliterated umbilical artery, and external iliac vessels before SLN excision; commencing the dissection at the level of the uterine artery and continuing laterally; and completing dissection in one hemi-pelvis before proceeding to the contralateral side. Consensus was also reached in recommending against injection at 6 and 12 o'clock, and injection directly into the tumor in cases of the tumor completely replacing the cervix; against removal of nodes through port without protective maneuvers; absence of an ultrastaging protocol; and against modifying tracer concentration at the time of re-injection after mapping failure. Recommended, optional, and not recommended steps of SLN dissection in cervical cancer have been identified based on consensus among international experts. These represent a surgical guide that may be used by surgeons in clinical trials and for quality assurance in routine practice.