Sentinel lymph node biopsy: A new perspective in head and neck mucosal melanoma?

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with head and neck mucosal melanomas has not been performed so far. Therefore, this method as a staging tool was tested in a pilot study. In two consecutive patients, a lymphoscintigraphy, elective neck dissection with radio-guided sentinel lymph node identification, and resection of the primary were performed. The histopathological status of the sentinel lymph node was compared with the lymphadenectomy specimen and with the clinical course. Patient no. 1, in whom both the sentinel lymph node and the lymphadenectomy specimen were found to be free of tumour, is well and with no evidence of disease, the follow-up interval being 19 months. Patient no. 2, with the sentinel lymph node and remaining lymphatic basin being positive and negative, respectively, developed hematogenous dissemination 3 months after the primary treatment, and he was started on palliative chemotherapy. In mucosal melanoma, the prognostic significance of clinical nodal status is controversial, resulting in the lack of an official, applicable TNM classification and also of therapeutic guidelines. The presence of microscopic metastatic focus in the sentinel lymph node was associated with an early hematogenous dissemination. Therefore, sentinel lymph node biopsy, which represents a potentially efficient staging tool, warrants further investigation.