Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25002031›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging2014

Practice variation in defining sentinel lymph nodes on lymphoscintigrams in oral cancer patients.

Géke B Flach, Annelies van Schie, Birgit I Witte, Renato A Valdés Olmos, W Martin C Klop, Otto S Hoekstra, Remco de Bree

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Article in European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Within-patient comparison between [European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2022
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Sentinel lymph node detection in oral cancer: a within-patient comparison between [European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2021
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Additional non-sentinel lymph node metastases in early oral cancer patients with positive sentinel lymph nodes.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2017
    Article
  7. Review
4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Géke B FlachDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, gb.flach@vumc.nl.
Annelies van Schie
Birgit I Witte
Renato A Valdés Olmos
W Martin C Klop
Otto S Hoekstra
Remco de Bree

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeLymphoscintigraphic imaging and adequate interpretation of the lymphatic drainage pattern is an essential step in the sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) procedure. In oral cancer, identification of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) can be challenging. In this study, interobserver variability in defining SLNs on lymphoscintigrams was evaluated in patients with T1-T2 stage N0 oral cancer.

methodsSixteen observers (head and neck surgeons, nuclear medicine physicians or teams of both) from various institutes were asked which criteria they use to consider a hot focus on the lymphoscintigram as SLN. Lymphoscintigrams of 9 patients with 47 hot foci (3-9 per patient) were assessed, using a scale of 'yes/equivocal/no'. Bilateral drainage was seen in four of nine cases. In three cases additional late single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT scanning was performed. Interobserver variability was evaluated by kappa (к) analysis, using linear weighted pairwise comparison of the observers. Conservative (equivocal analysed as no) and sensitive (equivocal analysed as yes) assessment strategies were investigated using pairwise kappa analysis.

resultsVarious definitions of SLN on lymphoscintigrams were given. Interobserver variability of all cases using a 3-point scale showed fair agreement (71%, к(w) = 0.29). The conservative and sensitive analyses both showed moderate agreement: conservative approach к = 0.44 (in 80% of the hot foci the observers agreed) and sensitive approach к = 0.42 (81%) respectively. Multidisciplinary involvement in image interpretation and higher levels of observer experience appeared to increase agreement.

conclusionAmong 16 observers, there is practice variation in defining SLNs on lymphoscintigrams in oral cancer patients. Interobserver variability of lymphoscintigraphic interpretation shows moderate agreement. In order to achieve better agreement in defining SLNs on lymphoscintigrams specific guidelines are warranted.

Indexed as

AgedHumansLymphatic MetastasisLymph NodesMaleMiddle AgedMouth NeoplasmsMultimodal ImagingObserver VariationSentinel Lymph Node BiopsyTomography, Emission-Computed, Single-PhotonTomography, X-Ray Computed

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.