title: Sentinel lymph node biopsy in melanoma: Facts and controversies.
abstract: Three decades after its introduction in the 1990s, the sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients with localized cutaneous melanoma is still the subject of great debate in dermatology. Many questions remain unanswered, and studies currently in progress may or may not bring us any closer to determining the truth about sentinel lymph node biopsy and melanoma. We discuss the effect of sentinel lymph node biopsy on overall survival, the clinical and therapeutic implications of sentinel lymph node biopsy, and the melanoma patients who might be candidates for sentinel lymph node biopsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
authors.forename: Brooke T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.forename: Basil S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Cherpelis
authors.forename: Vernon
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sondak
authors.forename: Neil Alan
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Fenske
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011379:Prognosis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis