Sentinel lymph node biopsy and completion lymph node dissection for malignant melanoma are not standard of care.

Malignant melanoma is a cutaneous malignancy characterized by high metastatic potential and an unpredictable course. Enormous amounts of research have been done into surgical and adjunctive therapies for melanoma. Given the regularity with which sentinel lymph node biopsy and completion lymph node dissection are performed at private and academic hospitals, it would seem that evidence supporting these procedures is not controversial. A growing body of studies, however, points to sentinel lymph node biopsy and completion lymph node dissection as ineffective treatment for malignant melanoma and necessitates a discussion of what constitutes standard of care.