Sentinel lymphadenectomy for cutaneous melanoma: who, what, and why.

Knowledge of the metastastic status of the regional nodes provides important prognostic information for patients with cutaneous melanoma. Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy has become the standard method for staging the regional nodes of patients with melanoma. The decision algorithm for using SLN biopsy is based upon the primary tumor depth, and utilization of SLN biopsy can spare patients the potential morbidity associated with complete lymph node dissection. Current studies are investigating the possibility of further limiting the need for complete lymph node dissections in patients with positive sentinel nodes.