The sentinel node biopsy in melanoma patients.

A palpable node is the first and most frequent sign of regional metastasis of malignant melanoma (MM). Nevertheless, the role of the elective lymph node dissection in patients with cutaneous melanoma remains one of the most debated topics of surgical oncology. Lymphatic mapping and sentinel node (SN) biopsy are supported as the standard of surgical care of MM by the World Health Organization and the Sunbelt Melanoma Clinical Trial. The only way to identify patients harboring microscopic nodal metastases is the elective complete regional lymphadenectomy or, as preferred today for its high specificity and minimal morbidity, the SN biopsy, which provides a histologic representative sample of the entire basin.