Faculty Opinions recommendation of Non-Sentinel Node Risk Score (N-SNORE): a scoring system for accurately stratifying risk of non-sentinel node positivity in patients with cutaneous melanoma with positive sentinel lymph nodes.

Context.— Currently, no universal protocol exists for the assessment of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in cutaneous melanoma. Many institutions use a multistep approach with multiple hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemical stains. However, this can be a costly and time- and resource-consuming task. Objective.— To assess the utility for multistep protocols in the analysis of melanoma SLNs by specifically evaluating the Calgary Laboratory Services (CLS) protocol (which consists of 3 H&E slides and 1 S100 protein, 1 HMB-45, and 1 Melan-A slide per melanoma SLN block) and to develop a more streamlined protocol. Design.— Histologic slides from SLN resections from 194 patients with diagnosed cutaneous melanoma were submitted to the CLS dermatopathology group. Tissue blocks were processed according to the CLS SLN protocol. The slides were re-reviewed to determine whether or not metastatic melanoma was identified microscopically at each step of the protocol. Using SPSS software, a decision tree was then created to determine which step most accurately reflected the true diagnosis. Results.— We found with Melan-A immunostain that 337 of 337 negative SLNs (100%) were correctly diagnosed as negative and 55 of 56 positive nodes (98.2%) were correctly diagnosed as positive. With the addition of an H&E level, 393 of 393 SLNs (100%) were accurately diagnosed. Conclusions.— We recommend routine melanoma SLN evaluation protocols be limited to 2 slides: 1 H&E stain and 1 Melan-A stain. This protocol is both time- and cost-efficient and yields high diagnostic accuracy.

Download Full-text

Lymphatic Mapping and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in the Management of Primary Cutaneous Melanoma: Report of a Single-centre Experience

Tumori Journal ◽

10.1177/030089160609200205 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 92 (2) ◽

pp. 113-117 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Roberto Cecchi ◽

Cataldo De Gaudio ◽

Lauro Buralli ◽

Stefania Innocenti

Keyword(s):

Lymph Node ◽

Sentinel Lymph Node ◽

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy ◽

Lymph Nodes ◽

Cutaneous Melanoma ◽

Lymphatic Mapping ◽

Lymph Node Biopsy ◽

Sentinel Lymph Nodes ◽

Primary Cutaneous Melanoma ◽

Node Biopsy

Aims and Background Lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy provide important prognostic data in patients with early stage melanoma and are crucial in guiding the management of the tumor. We report our experience with lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy in a group of patients with primary cutaneous melanoma and discuss recent concepts and controversies on its use. Patients and Methods A total of 111 patients with stage I-II AJCC primary cutaneous melanoma underwent lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy from December 1999 through December 2004 using a standardized technique of preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and biopsy guided by blue dye injection in addition to a hand-held gamma probe. After removal, sentinel lymph nodes were submitted to serial sectioning and permanent preparations for histological and immunohistochemical examination. Complete lymph node dissection was performed only in patients with tumor-positive sentinel lymph nodes. Results Sentinel lymph nodes were identified and removed in all patients (detection rate of 100%), and metastases were found in 17 cases (15.3%). The incidence of metastasis in sentinel lymph nodes was 2.1%, 15.9%, 35.2%, and 41.6% for melanomas < or 1.0, 1.01-2.0, 2.01-4.0, and > 4.0 mm in thickness, respectively. Complete lymph node dissection was performed in 15 of 17 patients with positive sentinel lymph nodes, and metastases in non-sentinel lymph nodes were detected in only 2 cases (11.7%). Recurrences were more frequently observed in patients with a positive than in those with negative sentinel lymph node (41.1% vs 5.3% at a median follow-up of 31.5 months, P<0.001). The false-negative rate was 2.1%. Conclusions Our study confirms that lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy allow accurate staging and yield relevant prognostic information in patients with early stage melanoma.

Download Full-text