The value of sentinel node mapping for staging XXXX .

@entity1 @entity1600 @entity320 @entity3
One of the most important prognostic features of @entity320 is the involvement of regional lymph nodes. @entity1600 ( @entity1600 ) is increasingly used to stage @entity320 in order to avoid lymph node dissection in @entity1 who clinically have no lymph node involvement. We present a prospective study of 27 @entity1 who underwent @entity1600 from November 1999. Lymphoscintigraphy was done on the day of surgery, and @entity1600 guided by blue dye and/or gamma probe performed. A sentinel node was identified in all 27 @entity1 , mean age 46 years. The mean Breslow thickness was 1.63mm. Excision of 1-3 sentinel nodes (mean 1.5) was performed. In 3/27 @entity1 @entity3 was detected in the sentinel node, 2 @entity1 had therapeutic lymph node dissections, and one had chemotherapy. There were no major complications. @entity1600 is a valuable technique for staging @entity320 , however impact on overall survival requires longer follow up.
