Background: The objective of this study was to determine, with the use of technetium-99m colloidal rhenium sulfide, whether the concept of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) is applicable to gastric cancers.
Methods: Fifty-nine gastric cancer patients underwent radical gastrectomy and SLN mapping with an intraoperative hand-held gamma probe. After surgery, each transected lymph node was measured for radioisotope (RI) activities by a well-type scintillation counter.
Results: SLNs were detectable in 57 (96%) of 59 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were calculated to be 83.3%, 100%, and 92.9%, respectively. Sensitivity was 100% in the T1 group, 91.6% in the T2 group, and 62.5% in the T3 group. When RI activities were measured with a well-type scintillation counter, every metastatic non-SLN was found to be situated in the same lymphatic basin as the SLNs.
Conclusion: The SLN concept is applicable to patients with early gastric cancer (T1). SLN mapping is suitable for identifying the lymphatic basin in cases of gastric cancer.