Clinicopathologic models predicting non-sentinel lymph node metastasis in cutaneous melanoma patients: Are they useful for patients with a single positive sentinel node?

Background And Objectives: Of clinically node-negative (cN0) cutaneous melanoma patients with sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis, between 10% and 30% harbor additional metastases in non-sentinel lymph nodes (NSLNs). Approximately 80% of SLN-positive patients have a single positive SLN.

Methods: To assess whether state-of-the-art clinicopathologic models predicting NSLN metastasis had adequate performance, we studied a single-institution cohort of 143 patients with cN0 SLN-positive primary melanoma who underwent subsequent completion lymph node dissection.

Validation of CP-GEP (Merlin Assay) for predicting sentinel lymph node metastasis in primary cutaneous melanoma patients: A U.S. cohort study.

Background: Approximately 85% of melanoma patients who undergo a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) are node-negative. Melanoma incidence is highest in patients ≥65 years, but their SLNB positivity rate is lower than in younger patients. CP-GEP, a model combining clinicopathologic and gene expression variables, identifies primary cutaneous melanoma (CM) patients who may safely forgo SLNB due to their low risk for nodal metastasis.

Identification of stage I/IIA melanoma patients at high risk for disease relapse using a clinicopathologic and gene expression model.

Purpose: Patients with stage I/IIA cutaneous melanoma (CM) are currently not eligible for adjuvant therapies despite uncertainty in relapse risk. Here, we studied the ability of a recently developed model which combines clinicopathologic and gene expression variables (CP-GEP) to identify stage I/IIA melanoma patients who have a high risk for disease relapse.

Patients And Methods: Archival specimens from a cohort of 837 consecutive primary CMs were used for assessing the prognostic performance of CP-GEP.

Model Combining Tumor Molecular and Clinicopathologic Risk Factors Predicts Sentinel Lymph Node Metastasis in Primary Cutaneous Melanoma.

Purpose: More than 80% of patients who undergo sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy have no nodal metastasis. Here we describe a model that combines clinicopathologic and molecular variables to identify patients with thin and intermediate thickness melanomas who may forgo the SLN biopsy procedure due to their low risk of nodal metastasis.

Patients And Methods: Genes with functional roles in melanoma metastasis were discovered by analysis of next generation sequencing data and case control studies.