title: Significance of sentinel lymph node biopsy in malignant melanoma: overview of international data.
abstract: The notion of sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping and its use during surgery for staging cancer was initially reported in 1992, in a study involving patients with malignant melanoma. To date SLN biopsy (SLNB) has emerged as a rational approach for staging regional lymph nodes in patients with clinically node-negative melanoma (stage I and II disease). The significance of SLNB as a staging and prognostic tool in melanoma is widely accepted. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of the SLN remains very controversial. Whether SLNB improves survival in melanoma patients remains an open question.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Midashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. ymoroi@dermatol.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Moroi
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome