Sentinel node mapping for malignant melanoma.
Sixty-seven patients with malignant melanomas were seen in our institute since 1998. We looked for a sentinel node in 26 (38%) patients with lesions thicker than 1 mm, employing a double technique: staining with methylene blue and gamma probe mapping after injection of 99mTc. Forty-six nodes were retrieved, 25% of them containing tumor cells. This approach enabled us to choose between a wait-and-see policy and radical surgery.
Landra
M
M
First Department of General Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Croce, Cuneo, Italy. landra.m@scroce.sanitacn.it
Acchiardi
F
F
Pugno
F
F
Forte
G
G
Granetto
C
C
Camuzzini
G F
GF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005260:Female; D015902:Gamma Cameras; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008751:Methylene Blue; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin
D004396:Coloring Agents; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; C083602:technetium Tc 99m nanocolloid; D008751:Methylene Blue