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Annals of Surgical Oncology
Published in: Annals of Surgical Oncology 9/2006

01-09-2006

Significance of Multiple Lymphatic Basin Drainage in Truncal Melanoma Patients Undergoing Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

Authors: Jonathan B. McHugh, MD, Lyndon Su, MD, Kent A. Griffith, MPH, MS, Jennifer L. Schwartz, MD, Sandra L. Wong, MD, Vincent Cimmino, MD, Alfred E. Chang, MD, Timothy M. Johnson, MD, Michael S. Sabel, MD

Published in: Annals of Surgical Oncology | Issue 9/2006

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Abstract

Background

Truncal melanoma involving metastases to multiple lymph node basins has a much worse prognosis than tumor involvement of a single lymph node basin. Recent results also suggest that, independently of the status of lymph node involvement, patients with multiple lymphatic basin drainage (MLBD) on lymphoscintigraphy have an increased risk of lymph node metastasis and a worse prognosis than those with a single lymphatic drainage basin. Because published reports have conflicting results, the authors compared their experience at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center with recently published findings.

Methods

The authors searched a prospectively maintained melanoma database at the University of Michigan for patients with primary truncal melanoma who underwent lymphoscintigraphy and sentinel lymph node biopsy between 1997 and 2004. The association of MLBD with the clinical and pathologic characteristics collected and the presence of regional metastases was tested by using contingency tables and the χ2 test statistic and by using the Fisher’s exact test statistic when cell frequencies were small. The product-limit method of Kaplan and Meier was used to estimate disease-free and overall survival probabilities.

Results

Of 423 patients with primary truncal melanoma who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy, 123 (29%) had a positive result, and 98 patients (23.2%) had MLBD. Patients with tumors located in the middle of the trunk and tumor ulceration were more likely to have MLBD (P < .0001 and P = .045, respectively). Patients with a single lymphatic drainage basin and MLBD had a similar risk of lymph node metastasis and similar disease-free and overall survival.

Conclusions

Patients with truncal melanomas tend to have MLBD when the tumor is located in the middle of the trunk or when ulceration is present. In our experience, drainage to multiple lymphatic basins was not an independent risk factor for sentinel lymph node metastasis and has no independent prognostic significance.
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Metadata
Title
Significance of Multiple Lymphatic Basin Drainage in Truncal Melanoma Patients Undergoing Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
Authors
Jonathan B. McHugh, MD
Lyndon Su, MD
Kent A. Griffith, MPH, MS
Jennifer L. Schwartz, MD
Sandra L. Wong, MD
Vincent Cimmino, MD
Alfred E. Chang, MD
Timothy M. Johnson, MD
Michael S. Sabel, MD
Publication date
01-09-2006
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Annals of Surgical Oncology / Issue 9/2006
Print ISSN: 1068-9265
Electronic ISSN: 1534-4681
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-006-9014-z

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