title: Sentinel lymph node biopsy in head and neck melanoma: A single institution analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of our study was to analyze a series of patients from our institution who underwent surgery for head and neck cutaneous melanoma and who received sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).
  
  
  METHODS
  A single-center observational cohort of 120 head and neck melanoma patients was investigated from 2002 to 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 107 patients (89.2%) with lymph node identified during lymphoscintigraphy, at least one node was collected and analyzed in 96 patients (90.6%). A positive sentinel lymph node was found in 9.4% of patients. Our data showed higher failure rate of lymphoscintigraphic identification (11.7%), lower rate of SLN positivity (9.4%), and higher false-negative rate of SLNB (24.1%) than the usualfigures established for malignant melanomas in other locations. After a mean follow-up of 38.1 months, the disease-free survival (DFS) rate in the positive SLN group was 53% vs 75% for the negative SLN after 2 years of follow-up and 53% vs 48% after 5 years (p = 0.44).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The complexity of lymphatic drainage and the anatomy of the cervical region probably accounts for a specificities which result in a lower predictive value of SLNB in head and neck melanoma than in MM in other locations.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Penicaud
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cammilleri
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Giorgi
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Grob
authors.lastname: Taïeb D
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giovanni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dessi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fakhry
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D061305:Lymphoscintigraphy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D012878:Skin Neoplasms; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000096142:Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D016898:Interferon-alpha