Underwent Completion Lymph Node Dissection Research Articles

Survival Analysis and Clinicopathological Factors Associated With False-Negative Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Findings in Patients with Cutaneous Melanoma

We analyzed the outcomes and factors associated with false-negative (FN) results of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy findings in patients with cutaneous melanoma. SLN biopsy failure rate was defined as nodal recurrence in the biopsied regional basin without previous local or in-transit recurrence. Between April 1997 and December 2004, a total of 1207 patients with cutaneous melanoma with a median Breslow thickness of 2.4 mm underwent SLN biopsy by preoperative and intraoperative lymphoscintigraphy combined with dye injection. In 228 cases, we found positive SLNs; of these, 220 underwent completion lymph node dissection (CLND). Median follow-up was 3 years. The SLN biopsy failure rate was 5.8% (57 of 979 SLN negative). Median time to occurrence of FN relapse after SLN biopsy was 16 months (range, 3-74 months). The FN SLN biopsy results correlated with primary tumor thickness >4 mm (P = .0012), primary tumor ulceration (P = .0002), primary tumor level of invasion Clark stage IV/V (P = .0005), and nodular melanoma histological type (P = .0375). Five-year overall survival, calculated from the date of primary tumor excision, in the FN group was 53.7%, which was not statistically significantly worse than the CLND group (56.8%; P = .9). The FN group was characterized by a higher ratio of two or more metastatic nodes and extracapsular involvement of lymph nodes after LND compared with the CLND group (P < .0001 and P < .0001, respectively). Additional detailed pathological review of FN SLN revealed metastatic disease in 14 patients, which decreased the SLN biopsy failure rate to 4.4% (43 of 979). Survival of patients with FN results of SLN biopsy does not differ statistically significantly from that of patients undergoing CLND, although it is slightly lower. The SLN biopsy failure rate is approximately 5.0% in long-term follow-up and is associated mainly with the same factors that indicate a poor prognosis in primary melanoma.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in children and adolescents with malignant melanoma

Background/purpose Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) provides valuable staging information for adult patients presenting with clinically localized cutaneous melanoma. There are little data pertaining to the use of SLNB in the pediatric melanoma population. The objective of this study is to investigate the use of SLNB in the pediatric population, focusing on its diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Methods Retrospective identification was made of patients 18 years or younger who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy for clinically localized melanoma at Indiana University Medical Center between 1994 and 2001. Patient demographics, primary tumor thickness, location of primary tumor, presence of tumor ulceration, number of lymph nodes removed, pathology of examined nodes, and number of lymph nodes involved with tumor were recorded. Disease status and dates of last clinical contact were determined. Results Twelve patients, 18 years or younger, were identified. Mean age of the study population was 14.1 years (range, 4 to 18). Mean tumor thickness was 1.65 mm (range, 0.36 to 4.7 mm). Three patients (25%) had positive sentinel lymph node biopsies. All 3 patients underwent completion lymph node dissection (CLND). One patient had micrometastatic disease detected on CLND; he had recurrence 6.1 months later and died 7.5 months after his SLND/CLND. At a median follow-up of 11.7 months, the remaining 11 patients had not experienced recurrence. There were no complications related to the SLNB procedure. Conclusions The minimally invasive surgical approach and limited complications associated with SLNB make this procedure a useful aid in assisting the physician in making therapeutic decisions in the pediatric melanoma patient.

Principles of sentinel lymph node identification: background and clinical implications.

The management of clinically negative regional lymph nodes in early-stage melanoma has been controversial for many years. While some advocate wide excision of the primary with elective node dissection (ELND), others recommend excision of the primary alone and therapeutic node dissection (TLND) for recurrences in the nodal basin. ELND is based on the concept that metastases occur by passage of the tumor from the primary to the regional nodes and distant sites, in which case early dissection of regional nodes will disrupt metastatic progression and prevent the spread of disease. Advocates of the "wait and watch" approach suggest that regional node metastases are markers for disease progression and that distant disease can occur without node metastases. Four randomized prospective studies comparing ELND and TLND have not demonstrated overall survival advantage for ELND, but suggest that patients with early regional metastases may benefit from ELND. As an alternative, Morton et al., from UCLA and the John Wayne Cancer Institute, devised intraoperative lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymphadenectomy (LM/SL). These minimally invasive operative procedures allow identification of the first and key (sentinel) lymph node (SN). The technique accurately maps the lymphatics by lymphoscintigraphy, and vital blue dye leads the surgeon to the SN. The pathologist then concentrates on seeking metastases in the nodes most likely to contain metastases. Patients with tumor-positive SN undergo completion lymph node dissection (CLND), while those without SN metastases avoid the complications and costs associated with this procedure. Morton et al., in a report on their initial experience of LM/SL, performed CLND in all cases regardless of SN tumor status and demonstrated the precise staging capacity of the procedure. Since this initial report, numerous studies have validated the accuracy and low morbidity of the procedure. Each center must master a learning phase. The procedure is dependent on the close cooperation of nuclear medicine physicians, surgeons, and pathologists. While LM/SL is now almost standard practice in the US, the results of clinical trials are awaited to determine whether LM/SL can replace ELND and TLND in the management of early-stage melanoma.

Cervical sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanomas of the head and neck and upper thorax.

To describe a clinical experience with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) of head and neck nodal basins for clinical stage I melanomas draining to these areas. Consecutive clinical case series with a mean follow-up of 10.7 months. University tertiary care referral medical center. Seventy patients with clinical stage I cutaneous melanoma who underwent SLNB of cervical and/or parotid lymph node basins. Patients underwent same-day preoperative technetium Tc 99m lymphoscintigraphy followed by SLNB using gamma probe and blue dye (66 patients) and blue dye alone (4 patients). Patients with histological evidence of tumor (here in after "positive") according to SLNB results underwent modified cervical completion lymph node dissection, including parotidectomy, as appropriate. Patients without histological evidence of tumor (hereinafter "negative") according to SLNB results were followed up clinically without undergoing completion lymph node dissection. The rates of SLNB success, SLNB positivity, completion lymph node dissection positivity, complications, and SLNB false-negative results were determined by clinical follow-up. Locations of melanomas in the 70 patients were the face (n = 20), neck (n = 14), ear (n = 9), scalp (n = 9), and upper thorax (n = 18). Locations of basins that underwent biopsy (n = 104) were in the cervical (n = 68), parotid (n = 19), and axillary (n = 17) regions. The mean Breslow thickness was 2.1 mm (range, 0.4-12.0 mm). Sentinel lymph node biopsy was successful in 103 basins (99%). The mean number of sentinel lymph nodes per basin was 2.5 (range, 1.0-8.0). Positive sentinel lymph nodes were found in 12 patients (17%) and 15 basins (14%). Sentinel lymph node biopsy results correlated with the American Joint Committee on Cancer tumor stage (P = .05) and a Breslow thickness of 1.23 mm or greater (P = .03). Additional tumor-containing nodes were noted in 5 (42%) of the 12 patients who underwent completion lymph node dissection, and these results correlated with the presence of multiple positive sentinel lymph nodes (P = .01). There were complications in 3 patients (4%) (seromas in 2 patients and temporary spinal accessory nerve paresis in 1 patient). One nodal recurrence in a basin that was negative according to SLNB results (SLNB with blue dye only) was noted (false-negative rate, 2%). The results of SLNB were accurate in 69 patients (99%). Sentinel lymph node biopsy using lymphoscintigraphy and blue dye to manage cutaneous melanomas draining to the head and neck nodal areas is reliable and safe. Sentinel lymph node biopsy results correlated with a Breslow thickness of 1.23 mm or greater and the American Joint Committee on Cancer tumor stage. Completion lymph node dissection is recommended after determining positive SLNB results.