Treatment of Malignant Melanoma Using Sentinel Lymph Node Dissection / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node dissection is a new therapeutic strategy of malignant melanoma. There was no clinical study about sentinel lymph node dissection in Korea. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to analyze the results of the treatment of malignant melanoma using sentinel lymph node dissection and to compare sentinel lymph node dissection with elective lymph node dissection. METHODS: History of 9 cases with malignant melanoma(1 case treated with elective lymph node dissection and 8 cases treated with sentinel lymph node dissection) at our institution over 2 years were reviewed. We evaluated the clinical & histopathologic data, status of sentinel lymph node and results of treatment. RESULTS: Sentinel lymph nodes were located within the regional lymph node basins in all 8 cases of extremity melanoma, except 1 case(trunk melanoma). Of 8 cases treated with sentinel lymph node dissection, the number of sentinel lymph node was 11, and positive lymph nodes was 3. Patients with positive sentinel lymph node were treated with therapeutic regional lymphadenectomy, chemotherapy and adjuvant therapy. No further treatment or only interferon administration was done in patients with negative sentinel lymph node. CONCLUSION: We confirmed the usefulness of lymphoscintigraphy and sentinel lymph node dissection using vital dye staining in the diagnosis and treatment of lymph node metastasis of melanoma.