Sentinel lymph node biopsy in head and neck cutaneous melanomas: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Head and neck melanomas (HNMs) behave differently from cutaneous melanomas in other sites, and the efficacy of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for patients with HNMs remains controversial. METHODS: Studies on prognosis following SLNB were included. The prognostic role of SLNB and other potential predictors were analyzed using pooled relative risk (RR) or hazard ratio (HR). RESULTS: Pooled statistics showed that SLNB improved overall survival of HNMs patients (HR = 0.845; 95% CI: 0.725–0.986; P = .032). The positive status of SN was proved as a risk factor of poor prognosis in HNMs (HR = 3.416; 95% CI: 1.939–6.021; P < .001). SLNB did not have significant correlation with lower recurrences (RR = .794; 95% CI: 0.607–1.038; P = .091). CONCLUSIONS: SLNB is associated with better overall survival and the SN status is a promising risk factor of poor prognosis for HNMs patients.