Introduction: A retrospective preliminary study assessed the feasibility of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in the management of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) of the head and neck.
Patients and methods: Twelve patients with stage I or II head and neck MCC underwent SLNB over a 4-year period.
Results: Only 1 of the 12 patients had a positive SLNB. The sentinel node was not identified in 3 patients. Two of the 8 patients with negative SLNB showed regional lymph node recurrence within 2years. One patient died during follow-up.
Conclusion: Merkel cell carcinoma is an uncommon but highly aggressive pathology; management protocols have been based on small series. The role of SLNB in the management of MCC remains to be defined.
Keywords: Lymphoscintigraphy; Merkel cell carcinoma; Sentinel node biopsy.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.