Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy and Adjuvant Therapy for Melanoma: Evidence Revisited

In the September 2001 issue of the ARCHIVES, an Evidence-Based Dermatology Research Commentary took a dim view of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy for melanoma, and discounted any potential benefit for adjuvant therapy.¹ It is curious that this comment did not mention the preceding article by Dubois et al,² in which a multidisciplinary panel of dermatologists, surgical oncologists, and medical oncologists provided guidelines for SLN biopsy and adjuvant therapy in patients with melanoma. Clearly, the consensus panel and the authors of the commentary have vastly different interpretations of the available evidence.