The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in the management of thin melanoma.
The lifetime risk for developing thin (< or =1 mm) melanoma continues to increase steadily. Although generally associated with an excellent prognosis, it also has a proven capacity to metastasize. There has been increasing interest in using sentinel lymph node biopsy to improve staging for thin melanoma. However, it is difficult to define clinicopathologic factors that reliably predict the presence of nodal metastasis. The prognostic significance of a positive sentinel lymph node in thin melanoma remains to be defined.
Wong
Sandra L
SL
Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave., Box 435, New York, NY 10021, USA. wongs2@mskcc.org
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome