[Biopsy of sentinel lymph node in melanoma is not yet the standard treatment]

The trend to implement sentinel node biopsy as standard of care in patients with clinically localized melanoma is encouraged by the following three factors: the technique of lymphatic mapping has matured to the point that consensus was reached on how the procedure should be carried out, surgeons showed that they can find the node in nearly 100% of patients, and tumor-status was shown to be the most powerful prognostic factor. However, recent studies revealed unfavorable new information that questions the wisdom of this trend. Three studies published in 2001 with a combined total of 1,851 patients show false-negative rates of 16-25%. Another unnerving finding is the 13-19% incidence of in-transit metastases in patients with a tumor-positive sentinel node, reported by three groups. The ultimate purpose of lymphatic mapping is to provide sentinel node positive patients with early therapeutic measures, such as regional node dissection and adjuvant systemic treatment. However, there is currently no evidence that this approach results in improved regional control and survival. Sentinel node biopsy can only become part of routine patient management if the tumor-status of the sentinel node carries clear implications of proven benefit for the manner in wich patients are managed and if regional control is not jeopardized.