Department of Dermatology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Australas J Dermatol. 2012 May;53(2):93-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-0960.2012.00889.x. Epub 2012 Apr 12.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: There is international debate over the role of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in invasive melanoma management. There is currently evidence that SNB offers prognostic information; however, the therapeutic benefit of SNB is yet to be elucidated. Many experts describe SNB as the standard of care in the management of patients with melanoma. Labelling a procedure as a standard of care has consequences from the perspectives of both patient care and cost. This study aims to determine the opinions of Australian dermatologists and plastic surgeons on the role of SNB, to compare these opinions between specialties and to compare self-reported practices with current evidence.
An online survey of 10 questions was distributed to members of the Australasian College of Dermatologists and the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons.
A total of 137 responses were received (66 dermatologists and 71 plastic surgeons), representing 16% of the dermatologists and 20% of the plastic surgeons in Australia. Just over half of the respondents (51%) said SNB should not be the standard of care. More dermatologists than plastic surgeons held this view. In total 15% of specialists were counselling patients outside current guidelines.
Australian specialists are divided on the role of SNB in the management of patients with melanoma. There are differences in opinion on the role of SNB in melanoma management between speciality groups and regions. A significant percentage of specialists are counselling patients outside current guidelines.
背景/目的：在侵袭性黑色素瘤的管理中，关于前哨淋巴结活检（SNB）的作用存在国际争议。目前有证据表明 SNB 可提供预后信息；然而，SNB 的治疗益处尚待阐明。许多专家将 SNB 描述为黑色素瘤患者管理的标准护理。将一种程序标记为标准护理会对患者护理和成本两个方面产生影响。本研究旨在确定澳大利亚皮肤科医生和整形外科医生对 SNB 作用的看法，比较专业之间的意见，并将自我报告的实践与当前证据进行比较。
对澳大利亚皮肤科医生学院和澳大利亚整形外科学会的成员进行了一项包含 10 个问题的在线调查。
共收到 137 份回复（66 名皮肤科医生和 71 名整形外科医生），代表澳大利亚皮肤科医生的 16%和整形外科医生的 20%。超过一半的受访者（51%）表示 SNB 不应该成为标准护理。持这种观点的皮肤科医生多于整形外科医生。共有 15%的专家在为超出当前指南的患者提供咨询。
澳大利亚专家对 SNB 在黑色素瘤患者管理中的作用存在分歧。不同专业群体和地区对 SNB 在黑色素瘤管理中的作用存在意见分歧。很大一部分专家在为超出当前指南的患者提供咨询。
