Axillary Lymph Node Metastases of Melanoma: Management of Third-level Nodes

Abstract

Aim: To state the limits of axillary lymphadenectomy in patients with metastatic melanoma.

Patients and methods: We performed a prospective study on patients submitted to axillary dissection for stage III melanoma. At surgery, the third-level nodes were separately dissected to be examined by the pathologist.

Results: We analyzed 86 patients. In 93%, the third-level nodes were disease-free; none of the patients with previous positive sentinel nodes (SN) showed nodal metastases at level III. Patients (7%) found to have positive level III nodes had undergone therapeutic lymphadenectomy for bulky nodal disease.

Conclusion: Our data show that axillary non-sentinel nodes of level III are usually disease-free in cases of previously positive SN, while they can be involved in the presence of bulky disease. A prerequisite allowing sparing of level III nodes after a positive SN biopsy is the meticulous research of all level I and II lymph nodes.

Keywords: Melanoma; axilla; lymphatic dissection; surgery.