The principle of sentinel lymph node states that metastatic melanoma spreads in a predictable sequential fashion from the primary site to the regional lymph node basin.
Objective and Conclusion:
Reports show that melanoma and tattoo pigment can be in the same regional lymph node basin on gross evaluation. We present two cases of melanoma arising within the setting of a tattoo where the sentinel lymph node contained both pigmented histiocytes and metastatic melanoma on gross inspection and histopathology.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ReintgenDCruseCWWellsK. The orderly progression of melanoma nodal metastases. Ann Surg1994;220:759–67.
DominguezEAlegreVGarcia-MelgaresML. Tattoo pigment in two lymph nodes in a patient with melanoma. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol2008;22:101–2.
14.
CharnyCKJacobowitzGMelamedJ. Sinus histiocytosis mimicking metastatic melanoma in lymph nodes of a patient with a large joint prosthesis: Case report and review of the literature. J Surg Oncol1995;60:128–30.
15.
MangasCFernandez-FiguerasMTCarrascosaJM. A tattoo reaction in a sentinel lymph node from a patient with melanoma. Dermatol Surg2007;33:766–7.
16.
ChikkamuniyappaSSjuve-ScottRLancaster-WeissK. Tattoo pigment in sentinel lymph nodes: A mimicker of metastatic malignant melanoma. Dermatol Online J2005;11:14.
17.
GallNBrockerEBBeckerJC. Particularities in managing melanoma patients with tattoos: Case report and review of the literature. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges2007;5:1120–1.
18.
ColombariRBonettiFZamboniG. Distribution of melanoma specific antibody (HMB-45) in benign and malignant melanocytic tumours. An immunohistochemical study on paraffin sections. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histopathol1988;413:17–24.
19.
OrdonezNGSneigeNHickeyRCBrooksTE. Use of monoclonal antibody HMB-45 in the cytologic diagnosis of melanoma. Acta Cytol1988;32:684–8.
20.
SheffieldMVYeeHDorvaultCC. Comparison of five antibodies as markers in the diagnosis of melanoma in cytologic preparations. Am J Clin Pathol2002;118:930–6.
21.
WickMRSwansonPERocamoraA. Recognition of malignant melanoma by monoclonal antibody HMB-45. An immunohistochemical study of 200 paraffin-embedded cutaneous tumors. J Cutan Pathol1988;15:201–7.
22.
TanisPJBoomRPKoopsHS. Frozen section investigation of the sentinel node in malignant melanoma and breast cancer. Ann Surg Oncol2001;8:222–6.
23.
RubioITKorourianSCowanC. Use of touch preps for intraoperative diagnosis of sentinel lymph node metastases in breast cancer. Ann Surg Oncol1998;5:689–94.
24.
ParadisiACapizziRDe SimoneC. Malignant melanoma in a tattoo: Case report and review of the literature. Melanoma Res2006;16:375–6.
25.
MortonDLWenDRWongJH. Technical details of intraoperative lymphatic mapping for early stage melanoma. Arch Surg1992;127:392–9.
26.
KragDNMeijerSJWeaverDL. Minimal-access surgery for staging of malignant melanoma. Arch Surg1995;130:654–8; discussion 659–60.
27.
MudunAMurrayDRHerdaSC. Early stage melanoma: Lymphoscintigraphy, reproducibility of sentinel node detection, and effectiveness of the intraoperative gamma probe. Radiology1996;199:171–5.
28.
HaighPILucciATurnerRR. Carbon dye histologically confirms the identity of sentinel lymph nodes in cutaneous melanoma. Cancer2001;92:535–41.
29.
MortonDLHoonDSCochranAJ. Lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymphadenectomy for early-stage melanoma: Therapeutic utility and implications of nodal microanatomy and molecular staging for improving the accuracy of detection of nodal micrometastases. Ann Surg2003;238:538–49; discussion 549–50.
