Evaluation of sentinel lymph node status in spindle cell melanomas.
BACKGROUND
The propensity for spindle cell melanoma to metastasize to the lymph node is relatively low despite its relative thick depth. To date, there are no published reports on the sentinel lymph node (SLN) status in patients diagnosed with spindle cell melanoma and desmoplastic malignant melanoma (DMM).


OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to report our experience on the SLN status in spindle cell melanoma and DMM.


METHODS
We undertook a retrospective database and medical record review from Oct 21, 1993 to Sept 29, 1999. At the University of California at San Francisco Melanoma Center, patients with tumor thickness greater than 1 mm or less than 1 mm with high-risk features are managed with preoperative lymphoscintigraphy, selective SLN dissection, and wide excision.


RESULTS
Of 29 patients diagnosed with spindle cell melanoma and DMM, 28 had negative SLNs and are free of disease except for one patient who experienced splenic, bony, and brain metastases. The mean follow-up in this population was 16.5 and 11 months, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Our preliminary findings show that SLNs from patients diagnosed with spindle cell melanoma and DMM only rarely harbor micrometastasis despite their relative thickness. A larger number of cases from multicenter databases may further define the true biology of SLNs in this melanoma variant.
Thelmo
M C
MC
Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center at Mount Sinai and UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, 94115, USA.
Sagebiel
R W
RW
Treseler
P A
PA
Morita
E T
ET
Nguyen
L H
LH
Kashani-Sabet
M
M
Leong
S P
SP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*