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Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Melanoma

  • Melanoma and Skin Tumors
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for patients with newly diagnosed localized invasive melanoma provides excellent prognostic information and results in improved regional disease control. Prior to the common use of SLNB, regional nodal recurrence was the single most common site of melanoma recurrence, with symptomatic, bulky disease that could be disabling and difficult or impossible to control. With the widespread use of SLNB, regional recurrence of melanoma is much less frequent. Even without clear evidence of improvement in overall survival, the significant and reliable prognostic information and the improved regional control make sentinel node biopsy an important procedure that should be offered routinely to many patients with newly diagnosed melanoma.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Matthew T. Hueman MD & Julie R. Lange MD, ScM

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  1. Matthew T. Hueman MD
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  2. Julie R. Lange MD, ScM
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Correspondence to Julie R. Lange MD, ScM.

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Hueman, M.T., Lange, J.R. Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Melanoma. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 9, 243–250 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-008-0074-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-008-0074-0

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