Predictability of Near-Infrared Fluorescence Light Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping for Colorectal Cancer Staging
Background: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping using Near-Infrared (NIR) Fluorescence Light is an increasingly used technique to improve nodal staging in several type of tumors, including gastro-intestinal, head and neck, breast and mel- anoma). The ultrastaging has a potential decision-making role in order to propose adjuvant chemotherapies in case of nodal micro-metastases. As a matter of fact, according to the last edition (8th) of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, the presence of LFN micro-metastases should directly be staged as N1 and no longer as N1mi.