Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy has recently been accepted to assess lymph node status in early-stage endometrial cancer, which is key to tailoring adjuvant treatments. However, it is unknown to what extent this technique is implemented nationally and whether it is decisive in determining clinical management and survival outcomes in cancer patients.

To find out, a group of researchers specialised in the study of the sentinel lymph node of the Spanish Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (SEGO) conducted a large retrospective study involving 29 Spanish centres, including patients with early preoperative endometrial adenocarcinoma who had undergone SLN biopsy between 2015 and 2021. Each centre collected data on demographic, clinical, histological, therapeutic, and survival characteristics.

According to the authors, the oncological outcomes of patients with node-negative and low-volume disease were similar after tailoring adjuvant treatments. Overall, 22% of patients with macrometastasis and 50% of patients with micrometastasis were at low risk of lymph node metastasis based on their preoperative risk factors, revealing the importance of SLN biopsy in the surgical management of patients with early-stage endometrial cancer.