WAIKOLOA, HAWAII -- The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with thin melanomas is "an enormous conundrum," Dr. Daniel G. Coit observed at the annual Hawaii dermatology seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation.
"The significance of a positive sentinel lymph node in thin melanomas is totally unknown. It's not at all clear that a positive sentinel node portends a poor prognosis in patients with thin melanoma. This we need to discuss with our patients, and these are often very lengthy discussions," said Dr. Colt, a surgeon who is coleader of the melanoma disease management team at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and a member of the ...