Background

Nodal melanocytic nevi (NN) encountered during sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLB) for malignant melanoma are usually difficult to distinguish from metastatic melanoma. However, NN have not been studied well in acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) in Asian populations.

Objective

To investigate the clinical characteristics and significance of NN in SLBs from ALM patients.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 84 patients with ALM who underwent SLB between June 2010 and July 2017.

Results

Of the 84 ALM patients, 9 (10.7%) had NN in the SLB. NN were significantly more common in SLBs than in non-SLBs. The presence of pre-existing melanocytic lesions was found to be associated with NN (p<0.001). The 5-year overall survival was significantly higher in ALM patients with NN than SLB-positive patients (p=0.047). Distant recurrence in ALM patients with NN was significantly lower than patients who were SLB-positive (p=0.03).

Limitations

The small sample size, single-center study design, and retrospective nature of the study were the limitations.

Conclusion

In Asian populations, the prevalence of NN in ALM is similar to that reported in Europe and the United States. The distant recurrence rate and overall survival in patients with ALM who have NN are similar to those of patients who do not have metastatic melanoma.

中文翻译：

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亚洲前肢淋巴结活检标本中有淋巴结肿大的亚洲性手足性慢性黑色素瘤患者的临床特征和预后。

背景

恶性黑色素瘤前哨淋巴结活检（SLB）期间遇到的淋巴结黑素细胞痣（NN）通常难以与转移性黑色素瘤区分开。但是，在亚洲人群的手性慢性黑素瘤（ALM）中，对NN的研究还不够深入。

客观的

探讨ALM患者SLB中NN的临床特征和意义。

方法

我们回顾性分析了2010年6月至2017年7月间接受SLB的84例ALM患者。

结果

在84名ALM患者中，有9名（10.7％）在SLB中患有NN。NN在SLB中比在非SLB中更为普遍。发现预先存在的黑素细胞病变与NN相关（p <0.001）。NN的ALM患者的5年总体生存率明显高于SLB阳性患者（p = 0.047）。ALM NN患者的远处复发率显着低于SLB阳性患者（p = 0.03）。

局限性

局限性在于样本量小，单中心研究设计以及回顾性研究。

结论

在亚洲人口中，NNM在ALM中的流行与在欧洲和美国报道的相似。患有NN的ALM患者的远处复发率和总生存率与未患有转移性黑素瘤的患者相似。