Regional node dissection for melanoma: techniques and indication

Laparoendoscopic single-site inguinal lymphadenectomy in gynecology: preliminary experience at a single institution

PURPOSE

Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS), a promising innovation in minimally invasive surgery, has been used in treating gynecologic oncology diseases. There have been no reports in the literature regarding LESS for inguinal lymphadenectomy (LESS-IL) in gynecologic conditions. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and outcomes of LESS-IL.

METHODS

Six patients with vulvar or vaginal cancer underwent LESS-IL from July 2018 to March 2019. Data regarding the intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were analyzed.

RESULTS

All patients successfully underwent a bilateral LESS-IL without conversion. LESS pelvic lymphadenectomy via an umbilical incision was also performed in a patient with vaginal cancer. The median operation time for the single-port laparoendoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomies was 105 min (range 70-134), with a median estimated blood loss of 108 ml (range 40-170). Median time of hospitalization was 7.5 days (range 5-10). A median of 11 (6-15) lymph nodes were dissected in a unilateral groin. The suction drains were removed after a median duration of 5 days (range 3-7). There were no skin-related or lymph-related postoperative complications. At a median follow-up period of 9 months, all the patients were alive and no recurrence was found.

CONCLUSION

LESS-IL is a feasible and safe technique for the surgical management of gynecologic cancers.

Oncovascular Surgery: Essential Roles of Vascular Surgeons in Cancer Surgery

For the modern practice of cancer surgery, the concept of oncovascular surgery (OVS), defined as cancer resection with concurrent ligation or reconstruction of a major vascular structure, can be very important. OVS for advanced cancers requires specialized procedures performed by a specialized multidisciplinary team. Roles of oncovascular surgeons are summarized as: a primary surgeon in vesselorigin tumors, a rescue surgeon treating complications during cancer surgery, and a consultant surgeon as a multidisciplinary team for cancer surgery. Vascular surgeons must show leadership in cancer surgery in cases of complex advanced diseases, such as angiosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, intravenous leiomyomatosis, retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma, iatrogenic injury of the major vessels during cancer surgery, pancreatic cancer with vascular invasion, extremity soft tissue sarcoma, melanoma and others.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Intraoperative Photography as a Quality Metric for Axillary Dissection

BACKGROUND

The adequacy of an axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is frequently assessed by the number of LNs pathologically identified. We hypothesized that intraoperative photographs facilitate objective measurement of the surgical quality of an ALND.

METHODS

Intraoperative photographs of the axilla were obtained prospectively following ALND by four surgeons. An objective scoring system was created based on the visibility of anatomic landmarks, with a maximum score of 7. Photographs of each case were scored independently by the other three surgeons. Factors thought to influence LN count were evaluated for correlation. Interrater variability was calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 115 cases were evaluated: 98 breast and 17 melanoma. Mean LN count was 25.1 (SD 10.5): 23.2 (SD 7.9) for breast and 36.5 (SD 15.8) for melanoma. Ninety percent of cases had a LN count ≥15. Factors associated with a higher number of LNs were melanoma (p < 0.001), visualization of the axillary vein (p = 0.03), and long thoracic nerve (p = 0.04). There was no association with age, body mass index, number of positive LNs, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, or matted LNs. Mean ALND photograph score was 4.8 (SD 1.3). A 1-point change in total score increased the mean LN count by 2.4 (p = 0.002). Correlations for interrater reliability varied from 0.27 to 0.62.

CONCLUSIONS

Photographic visualization of axillary anatomic structures correlates with the number of LNs identified on pathology. These findings support initiating a larger study with more surgeons to define the optimal photo metrics of an adequate ALND.

Robot-assisted video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy for melanoma

Inguinal lymphadenectomy is the indicated procedure in the regional lymph node management for patients with lower limb melanoma and positive nodes. This procedure is commonly associated with surgical site complications. Video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy is a minimally invasive alternative with oncological principles and lower wound-related morbidity. Incorporation of robotic surgery with optimal vision and great maneuverability would offer great advantages. A 42-year-old male patient was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma and palpable inguinal nodes T2 N1 M0. The patient was scheduled for robot-assisted left inguinal video endoscopic lymphadenectomy. The working space is created using blunt-finger dissection and then extended with the endoscope by sweeping with the lens. Two 8-mm robotic trocars and a 10-mm trocar for assistant are placed. The lymphadenectomy is carried out with Maryland and scissors. The operative time was 130 min, estimated blood loss 70 ml and hospital stay 2 days. The robot-assisted inguinal video endoscopic lymphadenectomy is a safe and feasible procedure for lower limb melanoma treatment. The incorporation of the robotic system to this approach where there is a limited working space would offer advantages to the technique.

Evidence of Th2 polarization of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) in melanoma

Melanoma has a propensity for lymphatogenous metastasis. Improved understanding of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) immunological environment may improve outcomes. The immune phenotype of fresh melanoma SLNs (n = 13) were compared to fresh control lymph nodes (n = 13) using flow cytometry. RNA was isolated from CD4⁺ T cells of the SLN and control lymph node and assessed for Th1/Th2 gene expression pathways using qRT-PCR. In addition, VEGF expression was compared between primary melanoma (n = 6) and benign nevi (n = 6) using immunohistochemistry. Melanoma SLNs had fewer CD8⁺ T cells compared to controls (9.2% vs. 19.5%, p = 0.0005). The CD8⁺ T cells within the SLN appeared to have an exhausted phenotype demonstrated by increased PD-1 mRNA expression (2.2% vs. 0.8%, p = 0.004) and a five-fold increase in CTLA-4 mRNA expression. The SLN also contained an increased number of CD14 (22.7% vs. 7.7%, p = 0.009) and CD68 (9.3% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.001) macrophages, and CD20 B cells (31.1% vs. 20.7%, p = 0.008), suggesting chronic inflammation. RT-PCR demonstrated a significant Th2 bias within the SLN. In vitro studies demonstrated a similar Th2 polarization with VEGF treatment of control lymph nodes. The primary melanoma demonstrated strong VEGF expression and an increase in VEGFR1 within the SLN. Melanoma is associated with Th2-mediated “chronic inflammation,” fewer cytotoxic T cells, and an exhausted T cell phenotype within the SLN combined with VEGF overproduction by the primary melanoma. These immunologic changes precede nodal metastasis and suggests consideration of VEGF inhibitors in future immunotherapy studies.

Video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy for lymph node metastasis from solid tumors

AIM

Inguinal lymphadenectomy (IL) is the standard treatment for inguinal lymph node (LN) metastases from genitourinary neoplasm and other cutaneous malignancies. Video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy (VEIL) is emerging as a new modality for treating inguinal LN metastasis, with the aim of reducing post-operative complications. However, the safety and effectiveness of this new approach is still unclear.

METHOD

A systematic literature review was performed. Patient characteristics, selection criteria, intra-operative data, number of excised LNs and post-operative outcomes were extracted and described for each study.

RESULTS

Ten series that encompassed data of 236 procedures performed in 168 patients were reviewed. The conversion to traditional IL rates ranged between 0 and 7.7%. Median/mean operation time varied between 60 and 245 min. Wound-related complications and lymphatic collection/seroma ranged between 0 and 13.3% and 4 and 38.4%, respectively. The median/mean number of excised inguinal LNs ranged between 7 and 16. Although only four studies reported a follow-up time longer then 2 years, local recurrence rate was up to 6.6%.

CONCLUSIONS

VEIL is safe and feasible for experienced surgeons with advanced laparoscopic skills and familiarity with groin anatomy. The post-operative morbidity appears lower compared to the open procedure, mainly for wound/skin related complications. The number of harvested LN and the regional recurrence rate is comparable to that of conventional groin dissection. Before VEIL technique can be considered suitable for routine clinical practice, comparable oncological outcomes and lower post-operative morbidity should be assessed in a randomized controlled trial.

Minimally invasive inguinal lymph node dissection (MILND) for melanoma: experience from two academic centers

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Regional lymph nodes are the most frequent site of spread of metastatic melanoma. Operative intervention remains the only potential for cure, but the reported morbidity rate associated with inguinal lymphadenectomy is approximately 50%. Minimally invasive lymph node dissection (MILND) is an alternative approach to traditional, open inguinal lymph node dissection (OILND). The aim of this study is to evaluate our early experience with MILND and compare this with our OILND experience.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective study of 13 MILND cases performed for melanoma from 2010 to 2012 at two tertiary academic centers. We compared our outcomes with retrospective data collected on 28 OILND cases performed at the same institutions, by the same surgeons, between 2002 and 2011. Patient characteristics, operative outcomes, and 30-day morbidity were evaluated.

RESULTS

Patient characteristics were similar in the two cohorts with no statistically significant differences in patient age, gender, body mass index, or smoking status. MILND required longer operative time (245 vs 138 min, p=0.0003). The wound dehiscence rate (0 vs 14%, p=0.07), hospital readmission rate (7 vs 21%, p=0.25), and hospital length of stay (1 vs 2 days, p=0.01) were all lower in the MILND group. The lymph node count was significantly higher (11 vs 8, p=0.03) for MILND compared with OILND.

CONCLUSIONS

MILND for melanoma is a novel alternative to OILND, and our preliminary data suggest that MILND provides an equivalent lymphadenectomy while minimizing the severity of postoperative complications. Further research will need to be conducted to determine if the oncologic outcomes are similar.