Prof Henry Kitchener talks to ecancer at the 2012 International Gynaecologic Cancer Society meeting in Vancouver about the benefits of, and issues surrounding, sentential node mapping.

The sentinel node is the first node that the cancer spreads to and analysing it determines whether or not the cancer has metastasised to the lymph nodes. Evidence on efficacy of this method shows that when the sentential node is negative, the more extensive node dissection is almost always negative.

The benefit of this approach, particularly in vulva cancer, is the avoidance of an extensive groin node dissection. The sentinel node is a much less invasive approach and provides more information.

Filming supported by Amgen