Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of activated carbon nanoparticles for guiding lymphadenectomy in lung cancer.
Methods: Fourty-two lung cancer patients were divided into two groups: the control group (22 cases) and experiment group (20 cases) who received activated carbon nanoparticles injection around the tumor either by endoscopic injection or intraoperative subserosal injection. The number of dissected lymph node, black-stained lymph node, positive lymph node and the side effect of the procedure were analyzed, respectively.
Results: No severe complication was observed in the experiment group. The operative time was not prolonged significantly in the experiment group either. However, the number of average lymph nodes dissected in the experiment group (25.5) was significantly more than that in the control group (14.6) (P <0.01).
Conclusion: Local injection of activated carbon nanoparticles around the tumor during surgical exploration is effective, safe and easy to do for guiding lymphadenectomy in lung cancer patient.