Lymphatic mapping and selective lymphadenectomy as an alternative to elective lymph node dissection in patients with malignant melanoma.

This article reviews the use of selective lymphadenectomy, otherwise known as sentinel lymph node biopsy, as a clinical alternative in patients with malignant melanoma. This represents a compromise between the two traditional treatment modalities, elective lymph node dissection or observation of the regional nodal basin followed by therapeutic lymph node dissection once disease becomes clinically apparent.