Indocyanine Green Lymphatic Mapping in Minimally Invasive Sigmoid and Rectal Cancer Surgery

Brief summary (registry, in English)

This prospective, single-center, non-randomized study with a historical control group evaluated the clinical utility of indocyanine green-guided lymphatic mapping (ICG-LM) during minimally invasive surgery for sigmoid colon and rectal cancer. Adequate lymph node removal is an essential component of colorectal cancer surgery, as the number of lymph nodes examined influences the accuracy of pathological staging and subsequent treatment decisions. Current oncological recommendations generally support the examination of at least 12 lymph nodes for adequate nodal assessment. Indocyanine green is a fluorescent dye that enables visualization of lymphatic drainage pathways using near-infrared imaging. Fluorescence-guided lymphatic mapping may help surgeons identify lymphatic structures and lymph nodes that are not readily visible under conventional imaging. Patients prospectively enrolled in the intervention group underwent endoscopic submucosal injection of ICG before minimally invasive oncological resection. Intraoperative near-infrared fluorescence imaging was used to visualize lymphatic drainage and guide lymph node identification. Outcomes were compared with those of a historical control group of patients who had undergone standard minimally invasive surgery without fluorescence-guided lymphatic mapping. The primary outcome was the adequacy of lymphadenectomy, evaluated by the proportion of patients with fewer than 12 lymph nodes retrieved and identified during histopathological examination. Additional outcomes included the total number of retrieved lymph nodes, metastatic lymph node yield, operative time, and postoperative outcomes. Propensity score matching and overlap weighting were used to account for differences in baseline characteristics between the intervention and historical control groups. The study assessed the potential value of ICG-guided lymphatic mapping for improving lymph node assessment during minimally invasive surgery for sigmoid colon and rectal cancer.

What you commit to

• Study type: Interventional
• Participants enrolled: 29
• From 8 Oct 2023 to the primary completion date, 31 Aug 2026
• 1 site in 1 country
• Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study design.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Who the study is looking for

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

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