Sentinel node biopsy for cutaneous melanoma in the head and neck

Selective sentinel lymphadenectomy has gained widespread acceptance for staging of melanomas arising in the trunk and extremities, but the complex lymphatic drainage of the head and neck area has limited its application in this area.

We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent selective sentinel lymphadenectomy for cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 1997 through 2000, by using a standard technique of preoperative lymphoscintigram and biopsy guided with blue dye injection and a handheld gamma probe. Complete lymph node dissection was recommended only for tumor-positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). Survival curves were constructed with the Kaplan-Meier method. Fisher's exact test was used for comparisons. Significance was defined as P < .05.

Thirty-eight patients underwent selective sentinel lymphadenectomy with the standard technique during the study period. A majority (82%) of patients were men with a median age of 55 years. The most common site of the primary tumor was the face (44%), followed by the scalp (24%). Mean tumor thickness was 2.5 mm. The sentinel node was identified during surgery in 35 patients (92%). Before the use of the handheld gamma probe, the identification rate of the SLN was only 56%. A single SLN was identified in 53% of cases. The incidence of metastases in SLN was 11.4%. With a mean follow-up of 17 months, the actuarial 3-year overall survival was 92%. The accuracy of the selective sentinel lymphadenectomy in this series was 80%.

Selective sentinel lymphadenectomy in the head and neck region is a technically demanding procedure, but the combined use of blue dye and gamma-probe radiolocalization can be a reliable method of staging regional lymph nodes and determining the need for elective lymphadenectomy.