Faculty Collaboration Database

Indocyanine green assists with sentinel lymph node mapping in pediatric and adolescent patients: A Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative prospective observational study. Cancer 2026 Feb 15;132(4):e70274

Date

02/07/2026

Pubmed ID

41653066

Pubmed Central ID

PMC12882109

DOI

10.1002/cncr.70274

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-105029548597 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   3 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is a critical staging tool in skin and soft tissue cancers. Although technetium lymphoscintigraphy is the most common adjunct, indocyanine green (ICG) demonstrates a promising alternative in pediatric, adolescent, and young adult (AYA) skin and soft tissue cancers.

METHODS AND OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the safety and efficacy of ICG in SLN biopsy (SLNB) in diverse pediatric and AYA solid cancers in a multi-institutional environment. This is a prospective, observational study conducted at 13 member institutions in the Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative between 2019 and 2023. Eligible patients underwent SLNB for primary or recurrent solid skin and soft tissue tumors. Peritumoral ICG was administered intraoperatively. Outcomes included SLN detection rates, histopathology of excised specimens, and surgeon-reported assessment of utility. Safety was assessed through adverse event reporting.

RESULTS: Forty SLNB procedures yielded 84 specimens: 13 melanoma (32.5%), 12 squamous cell carcinoma (30%), 11 non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma (27.5%), two rhabdomyosarcoma (5%), one Ewing sarcoma (2.5%), and one malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (2.5%). Histologic evaluation identified 81 lymph nodes, 75 benign (89.3%) and six malignant (7.1%); three specimens were adipose tissue (3.6%). Of 81 lymph nodes, 76% were ICG-positive. ICG had a sensitivity of 79.5%, a specificity of 33%, and a positive predictive value of 96%. All malignant nodes were ICG-avid. There were no adverse reactions to ICG at 30 days.

CONCLUSIONS: ICG is a safe and effective adjunct for SLNB in pediatric and AYA soft tissue and skin malignancies.

Author List

Schermerhorn SMV, Vore E, Bondoc AJ, Lautz TB, Ayala SA, Kastenberg ZJ, Arkin C, Malek MM, Campwala I, Aldrink JH, Horvath KZ, Piché N, Osman Y, Brown EG, Doyle K, Abril P, Roach JP, Ziogas IA, Rhee DS, Chidiac C, Polites SF, Debertin J, Craig BT, Lal DR, Kim ES, Lee WG, Barkhordar A, Le HD, Joshi D, Stellon M, Tracy ET, Beckhorn C, Davies DA, Boehmer C, Dasgupta R

Authors

Brian T. Craig MD Assistant Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Dave Lal MPH, MD Chief, Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Indocyanine Green
Lymphatic Metastasis
Male
Prospective Studies
Sentinel Lymph Node
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
Skin Neoplasms
Soft Tissue Neoplasms
Surgical Oncology
Young Adult