Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2025
Author Spotlight: A Model to Study the Systemic and Local Dynamics of CD8+ T Cells During LN Metastasis
Published on: January 26, 2024
Is therapeutic lymph node dissection of value for lymph node recurrence in melanoma?
Ana K Wilson1, Kristel Lourdault2, Tara Ostad2
1Saint John's Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center, Department of Surgical Oncology, Santa Monica, CA, United States.
Background:
Therapeutic lymphadenectomy (TLND) is still performed in most melanoma patients to treat nodal recurrences after initial negative lymph node biopsy (-SLNB), despite the lack of evidence for survival benefit. We sought to compare melanoma-specific survival (MSS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) of patients who underwent TLND versus no TLND using our institutional and MSTL-1 databases.
Methods:
We identified 146 patients with nodal recurrence following -SLNB: 132 underwent TLND and 14 did not. DMFS and MSS were evaluated for the cohorts followed by a matched-pair analysis between the cohorts.
Results:
No difference was observed in five-year DMFS (p = 0.454) and five-year MSS (p = 0.945) between the two groups. The matched-pair analysis showed similar results (p = 0.329 and p = 0.363 for DMSF and MSS, respectively).
Conclusions:
From this limited retrospective study, TLND for nodal recurrence after a -SLNB does not appear to improve DMFS or MSS in melanoma patients compared to no TLND.
More Related Videos
09:15Experimental Melanoma Immunotherapy Model Using Tumor Vaccination with a Hematopoietic Cytokine
Published on: February 24, 2023
08:18Analysis of Lymph Node Volume by Ultra-High-Frequency Ultrasound Imaging in the Braf/Pten Genetically Engineered Mouse Model of Melanoma
Published on: September 8, 2021