title: Routine restaging PET/CT and detection of initial recurrence in sentinel lymph node positive stage III melanoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Follow-up of patients with sentinel lymph node-positive stage III melanoma uses history, physical exam, and cross-sectional imaging. The aim of this study was to evaluate positron emission tomographic (PET)/computed tomographic (CT) scans in the detection of recurrence.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 2003 to 2009, a single-institution prospective database of all cutaneous melanoma patients was used to identify sentinel lymph node-positive stage III patients with disease-free survival >1 year and 1 restaging PET/CT scan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-eight patients were identified, with a median follow-up period of 27.5 months. Seven (18%) developed recurrence (median time to recurrence, 25 months). Recurrences were detected as follows: 3 by patients, 1 by physician, 1 by PET/CT scan and lactate dehydrogenase, 1 by PET/CT scan, and 1 by brain magnetic resonance imaging. One hundred eight follow-up PET/CT scans were performed. Two of 38 patients had asymptomatic metastases detected by routine restaging PET/CT scan, and there were 9 scans with false-positive results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With short follow-up, the utility of routine PET/CT scans in identifying unsuspected recurrence in patients with sentinel lymph node-positive stage III melanoma appears minimal.
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery and The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7213, 170 Manning Drive, 1150 POB, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Justin J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery and The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7213, 170 Manning Drive, 1150 POB, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Michael O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Meyers
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery and The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7213, 170 Manning Drive, 1150 POB, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery and The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7213, 170 Manning Drive, 1150 POB, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Keith D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Amos
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery and The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7213, 170 Manning Drive, 1150 POB, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Karyn B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Stitzenberg
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery and The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7213, 170 Manning Drive, 1150 POB, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Electronic address: david_ollila@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Ollila
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Melanoma; Recurrence; Restaging