The effect of time to sentinel lymph node biopsy on cutaneous melanoma survival.
BACKGROUND
Whether timing of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in cutaneous melanoma improves survival is not yet clear. The aim of this study was to investigate if the timing of SLNB influences long-term melanoma mortality.


METHODS
A 10-year retrospective cohort study was conducted on 748 cutaneous melanoma patients who underwent excision of the SLN. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated from Cox proportional hazards models.


RESULTS
After adjusting for sex, age, Breslow thickness, mitotic rate, ulceration, and histologic type, patients who underwent early SLNB (≤30 days) and resulted positive on final pathology had a 3 times decreased risk of melanoma mortality (hazard ratio = .29; 95%confidence interval = .11 to .77) in comparison to patients who underwent delayed SLNB (≥31 days) and resulted positive on final pathology.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that early SLNB (≤30 days) improves melanoma survival.
Epidemiology Unit, IDI-IRCCS-FLMM, Via Monti di Creta 104, 00167, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: c.fortes@idi.it.
Cristina
C
Fortes
Epidemiology Unit, IDI-IRCCS-FLMM, Via Monti di Creta 104, 00167, Rome, Italy.
Simona
S
Mastroeni
Plastic Surgery Unit, IDI-IRCCS- FLMM, Rome, Italy.
Alessio
A
Caggiati
Pathology Unit, IDI-IRCCS-FLMM, Rome, Italy.
Francesca
F
Passarelli
Oncology Unit, IDI-IRCCS-FLMM, Rome, Italy.
Alba
A
Zappalà
Division Dermatology, Villa Paola; IDI-IRCCS-FLMM, Viterbo, Italy.
Maria
M
Capuano
V Division Dermatology IDI-IRCCS-FLMM, Rome, Italy.
Riccardo
R
Bono
V Division Dermatology IDI-IRCCS-FLMM, Rome, Italy.
Maurizio
M
Nudo
Department of Epidemiology of Lazio Regional Health Service, Rome, Italy.
Claudia
C
Marino
Department of Epidemiology of Lazio Regional Health Service, Rome, Italy.
Paola
P
Michelozzi
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000071036:Sentinel Lymph Node / Q000473:pathology; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000096142:Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma
Melanoma; Mortality; Sentinel lymph node; Timing