ASO Author Reflections: Factors that Predict Performance of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy and the Association with Improved Survival for Melanoma Patients Who Have Nodal Staging

Excerpt

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) status is the most important prognostic factor for patients with localized melanoma.1 Based on this information, national guidelines recommend SLNB for patients with intermediate-thickness melanoma and state that SLNB may be recommended for patients with thick melanoma and considered for patients with stage T1b thin melanoma.2 Currently, SLNB has become the standard of care for melanoma patients deemed medically fit for the procedure and provides essential prognostic information. However, the true number of patients with localized melanoma who actually undergo SLNB per national guideline recommendations is unknown. Furthermore, although recent studies have not demonstrated a survival benefit for positive SLN patients treated with completion lymphadenectomy, the therapeutic effect of SLNB alone is unknown.3^,4 This study aimed to evaluate rates of SLNB use for melanoma patients to determine clinicopathologic factors predictive of SLNB use and to assess whether treatment with SLNB is associated with a survival difference. …