Could HPV-DNA test solve the dilemma about sentinel node frozen section accuracy in early stage cervical cancer? Hypothesis and rationale

Cancer Invest. 2014 Jun;32(5):206-7. doi: 10.3109/07357907.2014.889707. Epub 2014 Mar 7.

Abstract

In order to reduce the surgical invasiveness in early-stage cervical-cancer treatment, the sentinel lymph-node (SLN) technique could be considered as a possible intraoperative-guidance to lymphadenectomy decision making. Unfortunately its accuracy ranges between 33.3% and 100% in different studies. Recent manuscripts suggest that HPV-DNA presence in pelvic-lymph-nodes may represent a molecular marker of micrometastases. According to this hypothesis, the rationale in proposing the HPV-DNA-test when negative frozen-section occurs is due to the expected improvement of its diagnostic-accuracy. HPV-DNA test may represent a marker able to discriminate at frozen section the false-negative from the truth-negative tests filling the gap between optimal and real frozen-section accuracy.

Publication types

  • Letter

MeSH terms

  • DNA, Viral / analysis*
  • False Negative Reactions
  • Female
  • Frozen Sections
  • Humans
  • Intraoperative Care
  • Lymph Nodes / pathology
  • Lymph Nodes / surgery
  • Lymph Nodes / virology
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Papillomaviridae / genetics
  • Papillomaviridae / isolation & purification*
  • Papillomavirus Infections / pathology*
  • Pelvis / virology
  • Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / surgery

Substances

  • DNA, Viral