Selective sentinel lymph node biopsy as a prognostic method in cutaneous malignant melanoma: a decade of experience

Aim To analyze the prognostic role of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM). Methods A retrospective study was conducted including patients with histologically proven and surgically resected MM with subsequent SLNB and clinical follow-up for at least 18 months. A survival analysis was performed using Kaplan–Meier method and univariate and multivariate Cox regression. Results Two hundred and twenty-three consecutive patients (one hundred and one women) undergoing SLNB after MM diagnosis between 2011 and 2020 were included, ranging from 20 to 87 years (mean = 57.34 ± 15.03 years). SLNB was positive for malignancy in 50/223 patients and post-SBLN staging was: Ia = 65; Ib = 40; IIa = 31; IIb = 27; IIc = 10; IIIa = 11; IIIb = 9 and IIIc = 30. Breslow (p