Dr. Eskander on the Utility of Lymphadenectomy in Endometrial Cancer

Ramez N. Eskander, MD, assistant professor and gynecologic oncologist at UC San Diego Health, member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, discusses the utility of lymphadenectomy in patients with endometrial cancer.

Lymphadenectomies are utilized to determine the prognosis and stage of patients with endometrial cancer; it is not intended to provide a survival advantage, according to Eskander. Sentinel lymph node assessments are used to identify the presence of positive lymph nodes, which will help determine whether a patient will derive more benefit from systemic chemotherapy or radiation plus chemotherapy, Eskander explains. If sentinel lymph node mapping is unsuccessful, a side-specific comprehensive lymphadenectomy is needed, Eskander says.

In patients who receive imaging prior to surgery, and are found to have grossly positive lymph nodes, resection of these lymph nodes is not in the context of a staging lymphadenectomy, Eskander says. In these cases, lymphadenectomy is utilized to resect grossly positive disease in an attempt to improve outcomes, Eskander concludes.