Value of Neck Dissection in the Treatment of Patients With Intermediate-Thickness Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma of the Head and Neck

Controversies in the management of metastatic melanoma to regional lymphatic basins

“…Approximately 10-25% of cutaneous melanomas arise within the head and neck region [2]. Metastatic melanoma to regional cervical nodes is diagnosed by clinical presentation, sentinel lymph node biopsy, or historically, elective lymphadenectomy [2][3][4].…”

“…Metastatic melanoma to regional cervical nodes is diagnosed by clinical presentation, sentinel lymph node biopsy, or historically, elective lymphadenectomy [2][3][4]. Neck dissection is the best method available to control regional disease in this situation.…”

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

“…Thin lesions (less than 0.76 mm) generally are thought to have a low incidence of developing nodal disease (1%–2%), whereas thicker lesions have a higher propensity (reportedly 50%–60%). 28 Intermediate thick lesions (0.76–4.0 mm) have been identified to have a reasonable risk of harboring occult metastatic disease in the absence of distant metastases.…”

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

“…Some authors, however, believe that SLND disturbs node fields by what amounts to node plucking; this approach is felt to be oncologically unsound. These authors advocate neck dissection as primary regional lymphatic treatment 4 …”

“…These authors advocate neck dissection as primary regional lymphatic treatment. 4 SLND was designed as a technique to examine regional lymphatics based on the anatomy of the lymphatic flow. 5 The sentinel node concept is that the first lymph node receiving lymphatic flow from a given cutaneous malignancy is the node most likely to harbor tumor if metastasis has occurred.…”