Hartsough EM, Miller D, Shanley R, Domingo-Musibay E, Giubellino A. Sentinel Lymph Node Tumor Burden Using Digital Cell Count Estimation Predicts Outcomes in Melanoma.
Histopathology 2021;
80:954-964. [PMID:
34402533 DOI:
10.1111/his.14541]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Cutaneous melanoma often metastasizes in primis to sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). Currently, there is no standardized method of characterizing micrometastatic tumor burden in SLN biopsies for melanoma. Different criteria have been developed to evaluate SLN biopsies, yet none consider the number of cells identified.
AIM
Here, we used software analysis to digitally quantify metastatic tumor burden within SLNs and correlated these data with clinicopathologic and prognostic information.
METHODS
We identified 246 cases of SLN biopsies, including 63 positive (26%) and 183 (74%) negative for metastatic melanoma. Digital cell counting was performed within the greatest metastatic focus and the entire metastatic tumor burden within the same SLN.
RESULTS
Increasing cell count in the largest metastatic deposit correlated with the previously described Rotterdam (Spearman's r = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.94), Starz (Spearman's r = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.68, 0.87), and Dewar criteria (p < 0.01), validating our method of using cell count to define SLN tumor burden. Additionally, increasing cell count was associated with decreased metastasis free survival (HR = 2.29; 95% CI: 1.22, 4.31).
CONCLUSION
These data support the use of computerized cell count analysis for prognostication of outcomes in patients undergoing SLN biopsy.
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