The results of node resection for clinically enlarged lymph nodes in malignant melanoma

Patients with malignant melanoma who require a block dissection for clinically enlarged lymph nodes have a relatively good prognosis if only one node is involved histologically and the primary is on the lower limb. Sixty per cent of these patients with single nodes show a 10 year disease-free survival rate, compared with 9% for those with multiple node involvement. The local recurrence rate at the resection site of hyperplastic nodes was 26% but fell to 10% when only a single node was involved. The disease-free interval and the survival time are a useful measure of the effectiveness of node resection.