Introduction: The lymphatic pathway and its involvement in cancer treatment has been studied for centuries. The objective of this study was to historically assess the application of of the sentinel node (SN) technique in the assessment of lymphatic spread in urologic malignancy. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature review of studies evaluating lymphatic spread in urologic malignancy. Medline, Embase, Scopus, and AGORA were queried from time of database inception until 1900/2022 We evaluated temporal trends in publication by genitourinary malignancy type. Results: The first reference of lymphatic dissemination was by Bartholin in 1653, with discovery of a system that conducted liquid through the body, in parallel to the blood. In 1923, Braithwaite et al. first published the concept of the "sentinel gland." In 1953, Sherman and Ter-Pogossian managed to establish the SN technique using radioisotopes. With this advance, Rudolf Virchow's hypothesis was confirmed: "the lymphatic system runs in one direction and in an orderly manner". In 1966 Sayegh et al. described for the first time the lymphatic drainage of a urological organ, such as the testicles. However, it was not until 1977, when Cabanas defined the concept of SN as we know it today in penile cancer with its clinical application. A few years later, in 1999 Wawroschek et al. developed the technique in open surgery using the injection of nanocolloids labeled with Tc99m which is still used for experimental use. Nevertheless, as we can see in the image, the trend of publications on prostate cancer is on the rise, surpassing those on penile cancer. Finally, the use of SN technique extended to kidney, muscle-invasive bladder cancer and testicle with discouraging results according to data first published in the 00´s. Conclusions: Since its inception in 1923, several authors have studied the concept of the SN in urologic malignancy, with an increase in the number of studies performed over time. While the use of SN technique is well established, its application in prostate cancer remains an experimental for trial purposes. SOURCE OF Funding: None
