Extirpative Considerations of Melanoma of the Head and Neck

The incidence of melanoma is continuing to rise in the United States, and head and neck melanomas account for 25% of all cutaneous melanomas. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline recommendations for surgical margins and sentinel lymph node biopsy in head and neck melanomas are the same as cutaneous melanoma located in other regions, but require special considerations when performing wide local excision, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and completion lymph node dissection and reconstruction taking into account the location of the melanoma and structures involved in and around the suggested margins.