[Indications for preventive axillary lymphadenectomy in melanoma of the skin of the upper extremity].

Based upon clinico-morphological analyses of data of 79 patients with primary melanomas of the upper extremity skin the authors have found 3 risk factors of the regional metastasing process. It was shown that in patients having these risk factors there is 50% higher probability of regional metastases of melanomas which may be taken as indications for performing prophylactic axillary lymphadenectomy in such patients.