Individualisation of lymphadenectomy through sentinel lymph node mapping. Application in gastric cancer treatment

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in gastric cancer, especially if applied in combination with dye/radionuclide therapy for treating early gastric cancer, shows sufficient sensitivity with regard to assessing lymph node status. In the event of a negative lymph node status, it generally allows a limited and localization-adapted surgical approach. Especially in Asian countries with an incidence of more than 50% early gastric cancer cases, this approach is currently in clinical studies to be extended even to minimally invasive surgery. The aim is to achieve a gastric cancer therapy that preserves function, is adapted to the stage of cancer, and does not increase the risk of recurrence.