OBJECTIVE:

To identify lymph node micrometastases in malignant gynecological neoplasms and their histopathological and clinical characteristics associated with the findings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Observational, descriptive and retrospective study performed in patients with one or more lymph nodes with micrometastases in primary stage surgery for endometrial, ovarian or cervical cancer, systematic lymphadenectomy or sentinel node, attended at the Hospital de Ginecoobstetricia 4 Dr. Luis Castelazo Ayala, from January 2014 to December 2018. Exclusion criteria: no ganglion micrometastases. Elimination criteria: incomplete information in the clinical file, without follow-up and lack of pathological evidence of lymph node micrometastasis. The variables to be considered were: identification of lymph nodes with micrometastases, diagnosis of gynecological cancer by surgical treatment and survival rate. For the literature review, the PubMed database was consulted, with key words such as “ganglionic micrometastases” and “ovarian cancer”, “endometrial cancer”, “cervical cancer” and “gynecological cancer with micrometastasis”.

RESULTS:

There were 11 cases of lymph node micrometastases, of a total of 433 with ovarian, endometrial or cervical cancer. No statistical tests were applied because of the limited sample. In all cases, a lymph node with micrometastasis, with a sentinel lymph node or systematic lymphadenectomy was identified. All patients received coadjuvant treatment.

CONCLUSIONS:

It is important to identify micrometastases in systematic lymphadenectomy by staining with haematoxylin-eosin (the most accessible and economical methodology for the public health system in Mexico) or sentinel lymph node search, in order to determine the frequency in the Mexican population and establish the actual pathological stage of the disease.