title: High-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and the emerging role of sentinel lymph node biopsy: A literature review.
abstract: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common skin cancer in the world. A minority of patients will be given a diagnosis of a high-risk cSCC (HRcSCC) and a proportion of these will have a poor outcome. HRcSCC is characterized by an increase in aggressiveness manifested as locoregional recurrence, and occasionally death. The utility of sentinel lymph node biopsy in this group of patients is unclear without high-level evidence or clear-cut recommendations. If clinicians accept a cutoff threshold of 10% risk of harboring occult nodal metastasis, then a selected group of patients with HRcSCC may benefit from sentinel lymph node biopsy. We performed a review of the currently available evidence, in the form of systematic reviews, meta-analysis, trials, and case series and analyzed the features that define a HRcSCC and the feasibility of performing sentinel lymph node biopsy in this group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Cristián
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Navarrete-Dechent
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Veness
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Melanoma and Skin Cancer Unit, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Nicolás
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Droppelmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Melanoma and Skin Cancer Unit, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: puribeg@med.puc.cl.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Uribe
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D018570:Risk Assessment; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: high risk; lymph node; metastasis; nonmelanoma skin cancer; review; sentinel lymph node biopsy; squamous cell carcinoma