© 2005-2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). All rights reserved worldwide.
To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) developed evidence-based recommendations on sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma. This guide for patients is based on the ASCO and SSO recommendations.
Key Messages
- A sentinel lymph node biopsy is a procedure that helps the doctor find out whether melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes.
- If melanoma is found during a sentinel lymph node biopsy, the doctor should remove more lymph nodes.
Talk with your doctor about what kind of procedure is needed to evaluate and treat your melanoma and what the results will mean.