Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Thyroid Cancer

Background Prophylactic central neck dissection in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma is controversial. Sentinel node biopsy might be an adjunct to optimize surgical treatment for these patients. Earlier studies reported inconsistent detection rates and diagnostic value of this technique, and the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in thyroid cancer needs to be established. Patients and methods During a single-center prospective interventional study between 2010 and 2017, sentinel lymph node biopsy using 99mTc-nanocolloidal albumin tracer was performed on patients undergoing thyroid surgery for suspected thyroid cancer by fine needle aspiration cytology. All eligible patients without clinical lymph node involvement were invited to participate. Central neck dissection was performed on all patients after the detection of sentinel lymph nodes. Results Ninety-six patients participated in the study. The detection rates of the sentinel node were 67% and 45% by scintigraphy and intraoperative gamma probe, respectively. The detection rate was not associated with Bethesda score, malignancy, or presence of lymph node metastases. Sensitivity, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 80%, 97%, and 98%, respectively, for the sentinel node to represent the status of lymph node metastasis in the central neck compartment. The false negative rate was 20%. Conclusion Sentinel lymph node biopsy had a low detection rate and only moderate sensitivity in patients with suspected thyroid carcinoma and is not a useful adjunct to surgery in the context of current treatment concepts.