2011 Volume 121 Issue 11 Pages 2265-2271
From October 2002 to December 2009, we performed sentinel node biopsies (SNB) in 135 cases of skin tumors, including melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), Paget’s disease, and adnexal tumors, using a combination method of dye and radioisotopes. Sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) were identified in 129 of the 135 cases (identification rate; 95.6%). SLNs were assessed by histopathology and immunohistochemistry for the presence of metastases. The incidences of metastasis in melanoma, SCC, Paget’s disease and adnexal tumors were 35.2%, 2.3%, 25.0% and 21.1%, respectively. The metastatic rate of SLN in each T-classification category was as follows: Tis 0%, T1: 0%, pT2: 10%, pT3: 53.3%, and pT4: 62.5%.Thus, the metastatic rates of SLN were positively correlated with the T-classification category. SLNs from 41 melanoma patients were further assessed by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the presence of micrometastases. RT-PCR analysis revealed metastases in 24 of 41 patients (58.5%). Our results suggest that SNB should be utilized in patients with non-melanoma malignant skin tumors as a method for diagnosing lymph node metastasis. Further studies are needed to define criteria for performing SNB in patients with non-melanoma malignant skin tumors as well as those with melanomas.
