Rectal Cancer Stage III clinical trials

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Rectal Cancer

Rectal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors, with 9% to 23% of patients experiencing pelvic sidewall lymph node metastasis. According to the current Chinese guidelines for diagnosing and treating colorectal cancer, pelvic sidewall lymph node dissection is recommended for patients who have experienced or are suspected of having lateral lymph node metastasis. Lateral lymph node dissection can result in longer operation times, increased bleeding, and complications such as urinary and sexual dysfunction after surgery. Currently, the presence of metastasis is primarily determined by the size and enhancement characteristics of lateral lymph nodes observed through imaging studies. However, the pathological lymph node metastasis rate of specimens collected after lateral lymph node dissection based on current imaging criteria is only 20.5%. Therefore, a pressing clinical challenge is accurately determining the presence of lateral lymph node metastasis and avoiding unnecessary lateral lymph node dissection in patients who have not experienced lateral lymph node metastasis. Sentinel lymph node biopsy has been widely used in clinical practice. It has replaced traditional lymph node dissection in some breast cancer and melanoma patients, reducing surgical risks and complications and improving patients' quality of life. This study aims to use indocyanine green as a tracer for fluorescence-guided laparoscopic navigation to locate the lateral sentinel lymph nodes of rectal cancer in the pelvic cavity. By studying the accuracy, specificity, and false-negative rate of predicting lateral lymph node status using the sentinel lymph node, we can further clarify the clinical significance of the lateral sentinel lymph node.