Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Aug 2012
Sentinel node biopsy for head and neck desmoplastic melanoma: not a given.
Determine the frequency of, the characteristics predictive of, and potential associated survival benefit from sentinel lymph node biopsy in a population of patients with desmoplastic melanoma of the head and neck. ⋯ Positive sentinel lymph node biopsies are rare in patients with desmoplastic melanoma of the head and neck. The low (5%) incidence of positive sentinel lymph node biopsy, coupled with the absence of identifiable survival benefit from its use, supports a more selective application of sentinel lymph node biopsy to this group of patients.