This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
VIDEO: Changes in standard of care for sentinel node positive melanoma
NEW YORK — In this video commentary from HemOnc Today New York, Vernon K. Sondak, MD, discussed changes in the standard of care for patients with sentinel node-positive melanoma.
Sentinel node biopsy has become “a critical staging tool” to identify patients who are at high risk for regional and distant metastatic disease, said Sondak, chair of the department of cutaneous oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center and HemOnc Today Editorial Board member.
Adjuvant therapy should be started as quickly as possible, and further surgery should be reserved for patients who fail only in the nodal basin, Sondak said.
“Our goal is to improve survival to the greatest degree, while limiting the number of node dissections we have to do and maintaining a high degree of regional control,” Sondak said.
Disclosures: Sondak reports consulting roles with Array, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech Roche, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Polynoma and Provectus.