Inguinal lymph node dissection (ILND) is an essential step in both treatment and staging of several malignancies including penile and vulvar cancers. Various open, video endoscopic, and robotic-assisted techniques have been utilized so far. In this review, we aim to describe available minimally invasive surgical approaches for ILND, and review their outcomes and complications.
The PubMed, Wiley Online Library, and Science Direct databases were reviewed in February 2020 to find relevant studies published in English within 2000-2020.
There are different minimally invasive platforms available to accomplish dissection of inguinal nodes without jeopardizing oncological results while minimizing postoperative complications. Video Endoscopic Inguinal Lymphadenectomy and Robotic Video Endoscopic Inguinal Lymphadenectomy are safe and achieve the same nodal yield, a surrogate metric for oncological adequacy. When compared to open technique, Video Endoscopic Inguinal Lymphadenectomy and Robotic Video Endoscopic Inguinal Lymphadenectomy may offer faster postoperative recovery and fewer postoperative complications including wound dehiscence, necrosis, and infection. The relatively high rate and severity of postoperative complications hinders utilization of recommended ILND for oncologic indications. Minimally invasive approaches, using laparoscopic or robotic-assisted platforms, show some promise in reducing the morbidity of this procedure while achieving adequate short and intermediate term oncological outcomes.
Urologic oncology. 2020 Aug 25 [Epub ahead of print]
Reza Nabavizadeh, Benjamin Petrinec, Behnam Nabavizadeh, Amitabh Singh, Sudhir Rawal, Viraj Master
Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Atlanta, GA., Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH., Department of Urology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Uro-Oncology Division, Department of Surgical Oncology, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi, India., Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Atlanta, GA. Electronic address: .