title: Sentinel node biopsy in melanoma: the experience of Brescia Civic Hospital.
abstract: The accuracy of the sentinel node (SN) technique in the evaluation of lymph node involvement in melanoma was evaluated in 71 consecutive patients with localized disease and Breslow index >1 mm. Lymphoscintigraphy identified at least one SN in 70 of the 71 patients (98.5%). The following day 69 patients underwent selective SN excision. The SN was identified by portable probe. One hundred and twenty-two lymph nodes were removed, 14 (11.4%) of which were metastatic in 9 patients (13%). No metastases were found in 40 patients with Breslow <2 mm. Eight of the 9 patients with positive SNs underwent lymphadenectomy of the whole basin and in two patients new metastatic nodes were found. At 4-26 months' follow-up 1 of the 60 patients with negative SN (scalp melanoma with Breslow 6.2 mm) developed bilateral cervical metastatic nodes. Two more patients with Breslow 3.7 and 5 mm, respectively, developed liver and lung metastases. The remaining 57 patients are still disease free. Among the 9 patients with tumor-positive SNs, 1 was lost to follow-up, 3 died and 5 are still alive. Our data confirm the clinical reliability of the SN technique in melanoma; we feel the technique should be considered a standard tool in the evaluation of melanoma patients.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Medicina Nucleare, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pizzocaro
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Rossini
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Magri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Manca
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caglioni
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Manganoni
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Giubbini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006773:Hospitals, Municipal; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*