OBJECTIVES:
Primary
* Evaluate the safety and feasibility of visceral lymphatic mapping using isosulfan blue in patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, colon, stomach, small bowel, or gallbladder.
* Evaluate the ability of surgically defined sentinel lymph nodes to predict whether other lymph nodes in the basin are involved with the tumor in these patients.
Secondary
* Compare the results obtained from the sentinel lymph node (i.e., positive or negative for metastatic disease) with the results obtained from the other nodes in these patients.
* Compare immunohistochemical analysis with standard analysis of the sentinel lymph nodes in these patients.
* Evaluate the value of intraoperative touch prep analysis of sentinel lymph nodes in these patients.
OUTLINE: This is a pilot study.
During surgical resection of the primary tumor, patients receive isosulfan blue subcutaneously 5 minutes before undergoing sentinel lymph node identification/excision and radical lymphadenectomy. Tissue samples are analyzed by IHC for cytokeratins and CEA.
