In recent years there has been significant progress in the study of endometrial microbiota. This line of investigation has not been free of controversy and discussion. It is key for clinicians involved to remain updated with the most recent findings in microbiome and its clinical implications to be able to offer patients all possible treatments. Recent findingsThe existence of endometrial microbiota now seems undisputed. Current lines of work are centered on dysbiosis and its connection to other pathologies. It is in the field of assisted reproductive technology (ART) where this research plays an even more crucial role. In this case, we are focusing our attention towards the study of ectopic pregnancies (EP), searching for similarities in their etiopathogenesis and alterations in the endometrial microbiota.

The main objective was to analyze the rate of bilateral sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection in endometrial cancer using indocyanine green (ICG) as a unique tracer compared to Technetium99 + ICG. As secondary objectives, we analyzed the drainage pattern and factors that might affect the oncological outcomes. A case-control ambispective study was carried out on consecutive patients at our center. Data on the SLN biopsy with ICG collected prospectively were compared to retrospective data on the use of a double-tracer technique including Technetium99 + ICG. In total, 194 patients were enrolled and assigned to both groups, in which the group with both tracers (controls) included 107 (54.9%) patients and the ICG-alone group (cases) included 87 (45.1%) patients. The rate of bilateral drainage was significantly higher in the ICG group (98.9% vs. 89.7%; p = 0.013). The median number of nodes retrieved was higher in the control group (three vs. two nodes; p < 0.01). We did not find survival differences associated with the tracer used (p = 0.85). We showed significant differences in terms of disease-free survival regarding the SLN location (p < 0.01), and obturator fossa retrieved nodes showed better prognosis compared to external iliac. The use of ICG as a single tracer for SLN detection in endometrial cancer patients seemed to obtain higher rates of bilateral detection with similar oncological outcomes.