Analysis of regional recurrence after negative sentinel lymph node biopsy for head and neck melanoma

Background The head and neck have a rich lymphatic drainage and complex anatomy, which complicate sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy for melanoma. The incidence of regional recurrence after a negative SLN biopsy has been shown to be higher than that at other sites. Compounding factors in this scenario were analyzed to determine their impact on both SLN status and survival. Methods A retrospective review of a prospective database of 315 patients...