Micrometastases of the Sentinel Lymph Node in the Patients with Lung Cancer

51例临床T1 N 0 M0非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）患者入组本研究。然后在术中检测前哨淋巴结（SN）。SN标测后行肺叶切除、肺门及纵隔淋巴结清扫。所有切除的淋巴结转移灶均行苏木精-伊红（H&E）染色和免疫组化细胞角蛋白染色。SN检出率为80.4%（41/51）。每例患者的SN平均数为1.8±1.1。使用H&E染色在两名患者中诊断出淋巴结转移。LNMM仅见于2例患者的SN。而非SN组未见微转移。根据这些结果，2例临床T1 N 0 M0 NSCLC患者迁移至T1 N1 M0。所有清扫淋巴结的微转移的评价可以由评价SN的微转移代替。

Fifty one patients with clinical T1N0M0 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were enrolled in this study. Sentinel nodes (SNs) were then detected intraoperatively. After SN mapping, lobectomy and hilar and mediastinal lymph node dissection were performed. Metastases of all dissected lymph nodes were examined by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and immunohistochemical cytokeratin staining. SN detection rate was 80.4% (41/51). Average number of SNs was 1.8±1.1 in a patient. Lymph node metastases were diagnosed in two patients using H&E staining. LNMM were found only in SNs of two patients. On the other hand, micrometastasis was not found in non-SN. According to these results two patients with clinical T1N0M0 NSCLC migrated to T1N1M0. Evaluation of micrometastases of all dissected lymph nodes may be substituted by evaluating micrometastases of SNs.