Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsies for Thin Melanomas

SLNB should be considered in patients with thin melanomas and Breslow thickness >0.75 mm, Clark level IV, or ulceration.

Surgeons commonly recommend sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for tumors ≥1 mm in thickness. Some thin melanomas have poor outcomes, recurring as much as 10 years after initial diagnosis, with melanoma-related death in some. The American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual recommends SLNB for patients with “thin IB” tumors (i.e., lesions less than 1 mm thick but with such adverse prognostic indicators as ulceration and high mitotic rate). The prognostic utility of SLNB in individuals with thin IB tumors is not currently clear. These investigators conducted a large, multi-institutional study to determine factors predictive of SLN metastasis in thin melanomas.

Retrospective review of an international database identified 1250 patients with…

Reviewing Author

Hensin Tsao, MD, PhD

Disclosures

Consultant / advisory board Lubax; WorldCare Clinical

EquityLubax

Grant / Research support NIH; Department of Defense; American Skin Association; Piramal

Editorial boardsBritish Journal of Dermatology; Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology; Journal of Investigative Dermatology

Leadership positions in professional societies American Academy of Dermatology (Chair, Skin Cancer and Melanoma Committee); American Board of Dermatology (Director)