Research progress of sentinel lymph node biopsy and regional dissection in melanoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

ABSTRACT

Melanoma is a malignant tumor derived from the skin and mucous membrane, the epidemiological data showed that the incidence of melanoma elevated rapidly in the last decade. Early lymph node metastasis is a distinguishing characteristic of melanoma. The assessment of regional lymph nodes is a vital factor for melanoma staging and comprehensive therapeutic strategies. The sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) plays an important role in this comprehensive diagnosis and treatment system. Completion lymph node dissection (CLND) with positive sentinel lymph node was accepted by traditional theories. But it has recently been questioned via the latest global clinical trial. CLND limited the benefit for melanoma specific survival. However, SLNB is the reliable procedure for staging and prognostic evaluation of melanoma patients with positive sentinel lymph node, and CLND can significantly improve the local control and decrease the regional recurrence according to the evidence-based medicine. The authors summary the recently correlational research of SLNB and CLND in melanoma in this review.