[Study of the sentinel lymph node. Diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous malignant melanoma stages I and II]

Medicina (B Aires). 2006;66(2):144-6.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

Survival at 5 years of patients with localized primary malignant melanoma is about 80%, compared with a 35% survival in case of lymph nodes involvement. Sentinel lymph node(s) from 45 subjects with diagnosis of malignant melanoma stage I or II was/were studied with hematoxylin-eosin (HE), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and molecular biology (MB) techniques. The population was divided into three groups: HE-/IHC+/MB+, where 67% patients died; HE-/IHC-/MB+, where 57% died; and HE-/IHC-/MB-, where 100% of the patients are alive, with no lymphadenectomy and a median follow-up of 60 months. Those subjects who showed negativity with all the three methods had a null recurrence rate. Data herein obtained suggest a new molecular oncological staging, which would allow the selection of patients with submicroscopic metastases for a complete treatment. Moreover, several patients with no lymph node metastases should not undergo lymphadenectomies, and overtreatment could therefore be avoided.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Argentina / epidemiology
  • Eosine Yellowish-(YS)
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Hematoxylin
  • Humans
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Melanoma / mortality
  • Melanoma / secondary*
  • Melanoma / therapy
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Prognosis
  • Prospective Studies
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Skin Neoplasms / mortality
  • Skin Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Skin Neoplasms / therapy

Substances

  • Monophenol Monooxygenase
  • Eosine Yellowish-(YS)
  • Hematoxylin