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World J Gastrointest Surg. Jun 27, 2014; 6(6): 88-93
Published online Jun 27, 2014. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v6.i6.88
Sentinel node navigation surgery in gastric cancer: Current status
Dimitrios Symeonidis, George Koukoulis, Konstantinos Tepetes
Dimitrios Symeonidis, George Koukoulis, Konstantinos Tepetes, Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, 41110 Larissa, Greece
Author contributions: Symeonidis D and Tepetes K contributed equally to this work; Symeonidis D, Koukoulis G and Tepetes K performed the literature review; Symeonidis D, Koukoulis G and Tepetes K analyzed the data; Symeonidis D and Koukoulis G drafted the article; Symeonidis D and Tepetes K critically revised the final form of the article; all authors have read and accepted the final version.
Correspondence to: Dimitrios Symeonidis, MD, PhD, General Surgeon, Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Mezourlo, 41110 Larissa, Greece. simeonid@hotmail.com
Telephone: +30-235-1020730 Fax: +30-235-1020741
Received: February 18, 2014
Revised: April 16, 2014
Accepted: June 10, 2014
Published online: June 27, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: Sentinel node navigation surgery can change the current surgical treatment of gastric cancer expanding the indications of minimally invasive surgical options such laparoscopic techniques. However, the complex lymphatic drainage of the stomach and the ubiquitous fear of skip metastasis make the selection of patients extremely important. Currently, laparoscopic resection of the tumor from the stomach with lymph node dissection navigated by sentinel lymph node identification represents an option only for early gastric cancer patients. Unfortunately, patients with T3 or more advanced disease should still be managed conventionally with resection plus lymph node dissection.