Sentinel lymph node biopsy in cutaneous melanoma.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the importance of sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with cutaneous melanoma.


METHODS
Ninety consecutive non-randomized patients with stages I and II melanoma who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy were followed up prospectively for six years.


RESULTS
Patients were followed up for a mean period of 30 months. Their mean age was 53.3 years, ranging from 12 to 83 years. Thirty patients were male (37.5%) and 50, female (62.5%). Sentinel lymph node was positive in 32.5% and negative in 67.5%. It was found that the thicker the tumor, the greater the incidence of positive sentinel lymph nodes. In the group of patients with positive sentinel lymph nodes, recurrence occurred in 43.5%, but in those with negative sentinel lymph nodes, in only 7%, what points out to the association of tumor recurrence and positive sentinel lymph nodes. There were no major postoperative complications.


CONCLUSIONS
Sentinel lymph node biopsy was demonstrated to be a safe method for selecting patients who need therapeutic lymphadenectomy.
Oliveira
Andrea Fernandes de
AF
Unit of Skin Tumors, Plastic Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, Federal University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil. drandreafernandes@terra.com.br
Santos
Ivan Dunshee de Abranches Oliveira
ID
Tucunduva
Thaís Cardoso de Mello
TC
Sanches
Luciana Garbelini
LG
Oliveira Filho
Renato Santos
RS
Simões e Silva Enokihara
Mílvia Maria
MM
Ferreira
Lydia Masako
LM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011446:Prospective Studies; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery