Sentinel Node Biopsy for Head and Neck Melanoma A 12-Year Experience from a Medium-Volume Regional Center /
Background: Head and neck (H&N) cutaneous melanomas have poorer outcomes than melanomas at other sites, yet sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB)—a key prognostic tool in clinically node-negative disease—is less frequently performed, particularly outside tertiary centers. We evaluated the feasibilit...
Elmentve itt :
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| Dokumentumtípus: | Cikk |
| Megjelent: |
2026
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| Sorozat: | JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
15 No. 2 |
| Tárgyszavak: | |
| doi: | 10.3390/jcm15020763 |
| mtmt: | 36883408 |
| Online Access: | http://publicatio.bibl.u-szeged.hu/38874 |
| Tartalmi kivonat: | Background: Head and neck (H&N) cutaneous melanomas have poorer outcomes than melanomas at other sites, yet sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB)—a key prognostic tool in clinically node-negative disease—is less frequently performed, particularly outside tertiary centers. We evaluated the feasibility and prognostic relevance of SLNB in a medium-volume regional institution. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with primary H&N cutaneous melanoma who underwent SLNB at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Szeged, between 2010 and 2022. Clinicopathological features, nodal outcomes, recurrence patterns, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier methods and univariate Cox regression. Results: Thirty-eight patients underwent SLNB, with a 100% sentinel lymph node identification rate and no major complications. Positive sentinel lymph nodes were identified in 8 patients (21.1%). Two false-negative events occurred, resulting in a false-omission rate of 6.7% and a negative predictive value of 93.3%. SLN-negative patients demonstrated longer RFS and OS, although differences were not statistically significant. Among patients with intermediate-risk melanoma (pT1b–pT3a), 18.5% had a positive SLN. Conclusions: SLNB is a safe and clinically meaningful staging procedure for H&N melanoma in a medium-volume regional center. Sentinel node status provides important prognostic information and supports appropriate patient selection for contemporary adjuvant therapy. |
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| Terjedelem/Fizikai jellemzők: | 12 |
| ISSN: | 2077-0383 |