BACKGROUND: Thick (>or=4-mm) primary @entity320 are believed to be associated with a high incidence of occult distant metastases. The use of sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping and biopsy in the treatment lesions has been questioned. METHODS: A retrospective review of a computerized database identified 114 @entity1 who underwent successful SLN mapping and biopsy from January 1, 1994, to December 31, 1999. Records were reviewed for clinicopathologic features of the @entity1 and their @entity5 . Survival curves were constructed from Kaplan-Meier estimates and analyzed with log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards modeling. RESULTS: There were 75 @entity1 and 39 @entity1 with a mean age of 57 years (range, 24-85 years). The primary @entity5 sites were head and neck (n = 29; 25.4%), trunk (n = 44; 38.6%), and extremities (n = 41; 36%). Tumor thickness ranged from 4 to 17 mm (median, 5.2 mm; mean, 6.3 mm). Ulceration was present in 40 (35.1%) @entity5 . Thirty-seven @entity1 (32.5%) had a positive SLN biopsy, and 18 of these @entity1 (48.6%) had a @entity5 -positive lymph node after dissection. The mean follow-up was 37.8 months. The overall 3-year survival for SLN-negative @entity1 was 82%, versus 57% for SLN-positive @entity1 (P =.006). Lymph node status and @entity5 ulceration were independent predictors of overall survival in multivariate Cox regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The pathologic status of the SLN in @entity1 with thick @entity320 is a strong independent prognostic factor for survival, and SLN mapping should be routinely performed.

Sentinel lymph node mapping for thick (>or=4-mm) XXXX : should we be doing it?

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women', 'patients', 'men'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumor', 'single tumor', 'tumors'] @entity320 :: ('MESH:D008545', 'Disease') :: ['melanomas']
@entity320 :: (MESH:D008545,Disease) :: ['melanoma']
