Considerations in the Surgical Treatment of Malignant Melanoma

The Use of Lymphoscintigraphy and PET in the Management of Head and Neck Melanoma

“…Patients with stage III disease and subclinical regional nodal metastasis are potentially curable with adequate primary lesion excision and lymphadenectomy 12 . This concept has yet to be definitively proven 13 . Moreover, the clinical significance of detection of occult regional metastatic disease has yet to be established.…”

“…12 This concept has yet to be definitively proven. 13 Moreover, the clinical significance of detection of occult regional metastatic disease has yet to be established. Will all of these subclinical metastases develop into clinical regional disease or will they be eliminated by the host immune system?…”

Elective, Therapeutic, and Delayed Lymph Node Dissection for Malignant Melanoma of the Head and Neck: Analysis of 1444 Patients From 1970 to 1998

“…Whereas other clinical parameters have been identified to have prognostic significance, the presence of lymph node disease has consistently been identified as the most powerful indicator of developing distant metastases and overall survival. 5–11 This clinical finding has been verified in many studies in which elective and therapeutic lymph node dissection was incorporated in the treatment protocols; however, many investigators have reported conflicting data regarding the value of lymph node dissections on survival and recurrence, especially in head and neck melanoma. 12–27 …”