title: Utility of sentinel lymphadenectomy in the management of patients with high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an aggressive tumor with a significant rate of metastasis, especially nodal, and deaths yearly. Sentinel lymphadenectomy may be a valuable adjunct in the treatment of patients with cutaneous SCC at high risk for metastases with a clinical N0 status.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report the clinical and pathologic features in nine patients who underwent this procedure at a tertiary-care cancer center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Since 1995, a total of nine patients from the Cutaneous Oncology Program at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center received preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and sentinel lymphadenectomy for high-risk cutaneous SCC with a clinical N0 status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Histologically positive nodes were found in 4 of 9 cases (44%). Two of the four patients with positive sentinel nodes died of metastatic disease within 2 years. All five patients with negative sentinel nodes are alive and well at a median follow-up of 8 months (mean of 13 months). Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and sentinel lymphadenectomy were well tolerated by all patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this small series of predominantly trunk and extremity high-risk SCCs, sentinel lymph node biopsy was technically feasible with low morbidity. Sentinel lymphadenectomy may prove to have an important role in the management of high-risk cutaneous SCC with a clinical N0 status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Dermatology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Reschly
authors.forename: Jane L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Messina
authors.forename: Larissa L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zaulyanov
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cruse
authors.forename: Neil A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Fenske
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*