Cytodiagnosis of metastatic melanoma in the lymph nodes

Lymph-node aspirates performed over ten years numbering 1,555 showed 8.2 percent of metastatic tumors. Of these, only six percent were metastatic melanomas. Clinical diagnosis was made in three cases. Melanin in the cells made the diagnosis easy. But even in the absence of the pigment as in two amelanotic melanomas, the cytologic features were characteristic.