The effect of time to sentinel lymph node biopsy on cutaneous melanoma survival

BACKGROUND: Whether timing of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in cutaneous melanoma improves survival is not yet clear. The aim of this study was to investigate if the timing of SLNB influences long-term melanoma mortality. METHODS: A 10-year retrospective cohort study was conducted on 748 cutaneous melanoma patients who underwent excision of the SLN. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated from Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: After adjusting for sex, age, Breslow thickness, mitotic rate, ulceration, and histologic type, patients who underwent early SLNB (<= 30 days) and resulted positive on final pathology had a 3 times decreased risk of melanoma mortality (hazard ratio = .29; 95% confidence interval = .11 to .77) in comparison to patients who underwent delayed SLNB (>= 31 days) and resulted positive on final pathology. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that early SLNB (<= 30 days) improves melanoma survival. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.