ABSTRACT
Vulvar cancer represents approximately 4% of all gynecologic malignancies. The mean age at presentation of patients with vulvar cancer is about 70 years. Squamous cell carcinomas account for 90% of vulvar cancer cases; melanomas, adenocarcinomas, basal cell carcinomas, and sarcomas account for the rest.1 This chapter discusses the rationale for the sentinel lymph node procedure in vulvar cancer and provides a step-by-step description of the sentinel lymph node procedure performed with the combination of 99mTc-labeled nanocolloid and patent blue dye) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva. Selection of patients, preoperative care, how and where to inject nanocolloid and dye around the tumor, equipment necessary for the procedure, and details of histopathologic examination are discussed. The literature on sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with vulvar cancer is reviewed. Finally, a preliminary experience with the sentinel lymph node procedure in patients with melanoma of the vulva is reviewed.
