Time to reconsider the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in melanoma

The Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trials indicate that there are no overall or melanoma-specificsurvival advantages to performing sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) followed by immediate completionlymph node dissection compared with wide excision and observation for patients with positive sentinelnodes. These results make SLNB solely a staging procedure. The role of SLNB in the management ofpatients with melanoma deserves reappraisal. The potential marginal benefit of SLNB beyond the clinicaland pathologic features of the melanoma has not been well studied. The use of sentinel lymph node statusalone to accept and stratify patients into trials or to receive adjuvant treatment is not rational.