Sentinel Node Status is the Most Important Prognostic Information for Clinical Stage IIB and IIC Melanoma Patients.

Background: Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) for melanoma patients has been questioned. We aimed to study high-risk stage II melanoma patients who underwent SNB to determine what the prognostic factors regarding recurrence and mortality were, and evaluate how relevant SNB status is in this scenario.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of clinical stage IIB/IIC melanoma patients who underwent SNB from 2000 to 2015 in a single institution.