Dr. Shapiro on the Utility of Complete Lymph Node Dissection in Melanoma

Richard L. Shapiro, MD, associate professor, Department of Surgery, NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses the utility of complete lymph node dissection (cLND) in melanoma.

cLND has been the subject of international studies for decades in patients with melanoma, says Shapiro.

Data from the ​phase 3 MSLT-II trial, along with those from a German study, have demonstrated that ​patients who have microscopic disease in the sentinel lymph nodes do not benefit from cLND, explains Shapiro.

Conversely, patients who have bulky disease in the lymph nodes do achieve a survival advantage​ from cLND, including decreased local rates ​of recurrence. ​However, proper patient selection is critical, Shapiro concludes.