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Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.... Feb 2024Lymphatic dyes are commonly used to map the drainage path from tumor to lymphatics, which are biopsied to determine if spread has occurred. A blue dye in combination...
BACKGROUND
Lymphatic dyes are commonly used to map the drainage path from tumor to lymphatics, which are biopsied to determine if spread has occurred. A blue dye in combination with technetium-99 is considered the gold standard for mapping, although many other dyes and dye combinations are used. Not all of these substances have the same detection efficacy.
METHODS
A systematic review of PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Medline was performed. The predefined search terms were (indocyanine green OR isosulfan blue OR lymphazurin OR patent blue OR methylene blue OR fluorescein OR technetium-99) AND combination AND dye AND (sentinel lymph node biopsy OR lymphedema OR lymphatics OR lymph OR microsurgery OR cancer OR tumor OR melanoma OR carcinoma OR sarcoma).
RESULTS
The initial search returned 4267 articles. From these studies, 37 were selected as candidates that met inclusion criteria. After a full-text review, 34 studies were selected for inclusion. Eighty-nine methods of sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection were trialed using 22 unique dyes, dye combinations, or other tracers. In total, 12,157 SLNs of 12,801 SLNs were identified. Dye accuracy ranged from 100% to 69.8% detection. Five dye combinations had 100% accuracy. Dye combinations were more accurate than single dyes.
CONCLUSIONS
Combining lymphatic dyes improves SLN detection results. Replacing technetium-99 with ICG may allow for increased access to SLN procedures with comparable results. The ideal SLN tracer is a low-cost molecule with a high affinity for lymphatic vessels due to size and chemical composition, visualization without specialized equipment, and no adverse effects.
PubMed: 38333031
DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000005598 -
Oncology Reviews 2024Lymph node metastasis in vulvar cancer is a critical prognostic factor associated with higher recurrence and decreased survival. A survival benefit is reported with...
Lymph node metastasis in vulvar cancer is a critical prognostic factor associated with higher recurrence and decreased survival. A survival benefit is reported with adjuvant radiotherapy but with potential significant morbidity. We aim to clarify whether there is high-quality evidence to support the use of adjuvant radiotherapy in this setting. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of adjuvant radiotherapy to locoregional metastatic nodal areas. We conducted a comprehensive and systematic literature search of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Google Scholar, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the National Cancer Institute. We considered only randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We identified 1,760 records and finally retrieved only one eligible RCT (114 participants with positive inguinofemoral lymph nodes). All women had undergone radical vulvectomy and bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy and had been randomized to adjuvant radiotherapy or to intraoperative ipsilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy without adjuvant radiotherapy. At 6 years, the overall survival (OS) was 51% versus 41% in favor of radiotherapy (HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.30-1.3) without significance and with very low certainty of evidence. At 6 year, the cumulative incidence of cancer-related deaths was 29% versus 51% in favor of adjuvant radiotherapy (HR 0.49; 95% CI 0.28-0.87). Recurrence-free survival at 6 years was 59% after adjuvant radiotherapy versus 48% after pelvic lymphadenectomy (HR 0.39; 95% CI 0.17-0.88). Three (5.3%) versus 13 (24.1%) groin recurrences were noted, respectively, in the adjuvant radiotherapy and pelvic lymphadenectomy groups. There was no significant difference in acute toxicities for pelvic lymphadenectomy compared to radiotherapy. In women with positive pelvic lymph nodes (20%), the OS at 6 year was 36% compared with 13% in favor of adjuvant radiotherapy. Late cutaneous toxicity rate appeared to be greater after radiotherapy (19% vs. 15%) but with less chronic lymphedema (16% vs. 22%). There is only very low-quality evidence on administering adjuvant radiotherapy for inguinal lymph node metastases. Although the identified study was a multicenter RCT, there was a reasonable imprecision and inconsistency because of small study numbers, wide confidence intervals in the data, and early trial closure, resulting in downgrading of the evidence.
PubMed: 38774492
DOI: 10.3389/or.2024.1389035 -
Frontiers in Oncology 2024The effect of first-line complex decongestive therapy (CDT) for breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) depending on various factors forces patients to seek additional...
BACKGROUND
The effect of first-line complex decongestive therapy (CDT) for breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) depending on various factors forces patients to seek additional treatment. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of different conservative medical interventions as a complement to CDT. This is the first meta-analysis that includes various kinds of conservative treatments as adjunctive therapy to get broader knowledge and improve practical application value, which can provide recommendations to further improve BCRL patients' health status.
METHODS
RCTs published before 18 December 2023 from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched. RCTs that compared the effects of conservative medical intervention were included. A random-effects or fixed-effects model was used based on the heterogeneity findings. Study quality was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.
RESULTS
Sixteen RCTs with 690 participants were included, comparing laser therapy, intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC), extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), electrotherapy, ultrasound, diet or diet in combination with synbiotic supplement, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), continuous passive motion (CPM), and negative pressure massage treatment (NMPT). The results revealed that conservative medical intervention as complement to CDT had benefits in improving lymphedema in volume/circumference of the upper extremity [SMD = -0.30, 95% CI = (-0.45, -0.15), < 0.05, 51%], visual analog score (VAS) for pain [SMD = -3.35, 95% CI (-5.37, -1.33), < 0.05, 96%], quality of life [SMD = 0.44, 95% CI (0.19, 0.69), < 0.05, 0], and DASH/QuickDASH [SMD = -0.42, 95% CI (-0.70, -0.14), < 0.05, 10%] compared with the control group. Subgroup analysis revealed that laser therapy and electrotherapy are especially effective ( < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Combining conservative medical interventions with CDT appears to have a positive effect on certain BCRL symptoms, especially laser therapy and electrotherapy. It showed a better effect on patients under 60 years old, and laser therapy of low to moderate intensity (5-24 mW, 1.5-2 J/cm) and of moderate- to long-term duration (≥36-72 sessions) showed better effects.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=354824, identifier CRD42022354824.
PubMed: 38737896
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1361128