title: Identification of 6 sentinel lymph nodes in a case of malignant melanoma on the ungual region of the finger.
abstract: We describe a case of malignant melanoma on the ungual region of the index finger with which 6 sentinel lymph nodes were detected in the axillary basin. Of these nodes, 1 of 3 brachial nodes and 2 of 3 central axillary nodes showed micrometastasis. Additional lymph nodes obtained at the subsequent complete axillary lymph node dissection showed no metastasis. Identification of as many as 6 sentinel lymph nodes was ascribed to a single lymph trunk that would branch off to afferent lymphatics draining to each nodal group; however, a gamma probe may have detected radioactive tracer passing to the sequential nodes as well as that remaining in true sentinel nodes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cutaneous and Mucosal Pathophysiology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan. takashi-ueno@nms.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitsuishi
authors.forename: Yayoi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niimi
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawana
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001365:Axilla; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D009260:Nail Diseases / Q000473:pathology