[Viewpoint of the Dutch Melanoma Working Group regarding sentinel lymph node biopsy: prognostic but not therapeutic...

The sentinel lymph node procedure provides prognostic information for patients with cutaneous melanoma, but its therapeutic implications were unclear until now. The international multicentre selective lymphadenectomy trial has shown that sentinel lymph node biopsy confers no survival benefit for patients with cutaneous melanoma. The presence of melanoma cells in a sentinel lymph node, however, has prognostic value. Therefore, the Dutch Melanoma Working Group recommends discussing this procedure with all patients with melanoma of Breslow thickness 1.2-3.5 mm. There is no evidence to suggest that the sentinel lymph node procedure is beneficial when the Breslow thickness is less than 1.2 mm or greater than 3.5 mm.