Assessment of accuracy of sentinel node biopsy, defined as the false negative rate.
Current practice in patients with Clinical Stage I (CS I) testicular germ cell tumour is active surveillance after orchiectomy, with relapses occurring in 15-20% of patients. The majority of relapses occur in the lymph nodes as lymphogenic spread is the dominant route of dissemination. A sentinel node procedure, in which the sentinel lymph node is resected and pathologically examined, could be more reliable to identify patients who are likely to relapse. Early identification of patients with micro-metastases in the sentinel node makes it possible to treat these patients at the earliest possible moment. Absence of metastases could lead in the future to a less intensive follow up protocol than the present one.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
76
a robot-assisted laparoscopic sentinel node procedure to detect occult lymph node metastasis
identify patients witha low risk of cancer recurrenceincluded in current active surveillance protocols.
identify patients who have such a low risk of cancer recurrence that it is not necessary anymore to be included in current active surveillance protocols by removing the sentinal lymph node to check for occult metastasis
Time frame: surgery 1 day, follow up 5 years
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