Comparing carbon nanoparticles and indocyanine green for sentinel lymph node mapping in endometrial cancer: A randomized‐controlled single‐center trial

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To compare the feasibility and diagnostic value of sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping with carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) and indocyanine green (ICG) in endometrial cancer (EC). METHODS: This was a single-center, open-label, randomized controlled trial. Between August 1, 2020 and April 30, 2022, patients with early-stage EC were assessed for enrollment. All patients underwent SLN mapping with ICG or CNPs ± pelvic and/or para-aortic lymphadenectomy. The detection rate (DR), its impact factors, the sensitivity and the negative predictive value (NPV) of SLN mapping were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 206 patients, with 103 per group, were included. The overall and bilateral DRs of the two groups were comparable without significant differences. There was no difference regarding the distribution of mapped SLNs. The sensitivity was 66.7% for both groups, and the NPVs were not significantly different. Furthermore, the sensitivity and NPV reached 100% when calculated either per hemipelvis or only in patients with bilateral SLN detection. CONCLUSIONS: SLN mapping by CNPs in EC is feasible with high DRs and diagnostic accuracy compared with ICG. CNPs might be an alternative to ICG for SLN mapping when near-infrared imaging equipment is lacking, especially in stage IA patients.