Therapeutic groin dissection in malignant melanoma.

In a retrospective review of therapeutic dissections of the groin, 22 patients underwent radical groin dissection and seven were alive at five years, whereas 26 patients underwent a superficial groin dissection and two were alive at five years, p less than 0.05. Involvement of the deep nodes is not always equivalent with systemic disease. A radical groin dissection should be used to eradicate the disease locally. The survival rate for the patients following groin dissection correlated significantly with the disease-free interval prior to occurrence of inguinal lymphadenopathy.