title: Sentinel lymph node biopsy or nodal observation in melanoma: study of an Italian series.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the disease-free time (DFT) and overall survival (OS) of patients with intermediate or high-risk cutaneous melanoma who were treated with conventional surgery alone, and to compare them with that of a second group of patients who were treated with surgery and SLN biopsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective, single-centre study was performed at the Department of Dermatology of the "M. Bufalini" Hospital, Cesena, Italy based on data collected between January 1990 and December 2007. A total of 757 consecutive patients with stage I-II melanoma were identified: the former group (control group), treated with conventional surgery, was composed of 224 patients; the latter, treated with surgery and SLN biopsy (SLN biopsy group), was formed of 529 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 5-year disease free time (DFT) rate, estimated with Kaplan-Meyer, was 73.9% (95% CI: 67.5-79.2) in the control group, and 82.2% (95% CI: 78.6-85.3) in the SLN biopsy group. Although the DFT rate was significantly higher in the SLN group than in the control group in univariate analyses (P=0.004), this gain was lost in multivariate analysis (P=0.2). The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 88.4% (95% CI: 83.2-92.1) for the control group, and 87.9% (95% CI: 84.6-90.4) for the SLN biopsy group. Statistical comparison of specific OS was not statistically significant (P=0.93).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the basis of our follow-up data, we found that patients who underwent SLN biopsy technique experienced a reduction in the proportion of lymph nodal relapse, but DFT and OS were statistically equivalent between the two groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, M. Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, Italy. calista@iol.it
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Calista
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vitali
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Arcangeli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate