Is sentinel lymph node mapping indicated for isolated local and in-transit recurrent melanoma?
OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of sentinel lymph node mapping in local and in-transit recurrent melanoma. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The accuracy of intraoperative lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymphadenectomy (LM/SL) for identification of occult lymph node metastases is well established in primary melanoma. We hypothesized that LM/SL could be useful to detect regional node metastases in patients with isolated local and in-transit recurrent melanoma (RM). METHODS: Review of our prospective melanoma database of 1600 LM/SL patients identified 30 patients who underwent LM/SL for RM. Patients with tumor-positive sentinel nodes (SNs) were considered for completion lymph node dissection. RESULTS: Of the 30 patients, 17 were men and 13 were women; their median age was 57 years (range, 29-86 years). Primary lesions were more often on the extremities (40%) than the head and neck (33%) or the trunk (8%). At least 1 SN was identified in each lymph node basin that drained an RM. Of the 14
