| Journal of Current Surgery, ISSN 1927-1298 print, 1927-1301 online, Open Access |
| Article copyright, the authors; Journal compilation copyright, J Curr Surg and Elmer Press Inc |
| Journal website http://www.currentsurgery.org |
Original Article
Volume 2, Number 2, April 2012, pages 40-45
Occurrence of Lymphedema Following Sentinel Node Biopsy (SNB) for Lower Extremity Melanoma
Tables
| Characteristic | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Age at diagnosis (years) | |
| Median | 61.5 |
| Range | 26 - 85 |
| Sex | |
| Male | 14 (35) |
| Female | 26 (65) |
| Body Mass Index (kg/m2) | |
| Mean | 26.54 |
| ≤ 24.99 | 19 (47.5) |
| 25 - 29.99 | 13 (32.5) |
| 30 - 34.99 | 4 (10) |
| ≥ 35 | 4 (10) |
| Tumor location | |
| Above knee | 22 (55) |
| Below knee/foot | 18 (45) |
| Breslow depth (mm) | |
| Mean | 2.15 |
| Number of sentinel nodes removed | |
| Mean | 3.1 |
| Range | 1 - 9 |
| 1 | 6 (15) |
| 2 - 3 | 23 (58) |
| 4+ | 11 (27) |
| Ulceration | |
| Present | 10 (25) |
| Regression | |
| Present | 7 (17) |
| Onset of lymphedema following surgery | Duration of lymphedema | |
|---|---|---|
| < 1 month | 8 | 1 |
| 1 - 6 months | 3 | 1 |
| 6 - 12 months | 2 | 3 |
| > 12 months | 1 | 9 |
| Risk Factors | Post-operative lymphedema (n = 14) n (%) | No complications (n = 26), n (%) | P valuea |
|---|---|---|---|
| achi-square unless otherwise noted; bWilcoxon’s two-sample test; cFisher’s exact test. | |||
| Gender | |||
| Male | 3 (21.4) | 11 (42.3) | 0.2992c |
| Female | 11 (78.6) | 15 (57.7) | |
| Surgeon | |||
| RG | 11 (78.6) | 13 (50.0) | 0.1010c |
| JR | 3 (21.4) | 13 (50.0) | |
| Age at diagnosis | |||
| Mean (SD) | 57.8 (± 16.4) | 60.6 (± 15.9) | 0.5928b |
| SEM (95% CLM) | 4.4 (48.3 - 67.2) | 3.1 (54.1 - 67.0) | |
| Median (range) | 60.5 (35 - 84) | 64.5 (26 - 85) | |
| Tumor location | |||
| Above knee | 3 (21.4) | 19 (73.1) | 0.0027c |
| Lower leg and foot | 11 (78.6) | 7 (26.9) | |
| Surgical margins | |||
| 1 cm | 8 (57.1) | 8 (30.8) | 0.1044 |
| 2 cm | 6 (42.9) | 18 (69.2) | |
| Number of SNs removed | |||
| 1 | 2 (14.3) | 4 (15.4) | 1.0000c |
| 2 - 3 | 8 (57.1) | 15 (57.7) | |
| 4+ | 4 (28.6) | 7 (26.9) | |
| Body mass index | |||
| Mean (SD) | 28.3 (8.4) | 25.6 (4.6) | 0.4738b |
| SEM (95% CLM) | 2.2 (23.5 - 33.1) | 0.9 (23.7 - 27.4) | |
| Median (range) | 25.15 (22.3 - 52.3) | 25.05 (18.1 - 36) | |
| SN location | |||
| Inguinal | 8 (57.1) | 17 (65.4) | 0.6076 |
| Inguinal and Iliac | 6 (42.9) | 9 (34.6) | |
| Wound closure | |||
| Primary | 11 (78.6) | 21 (80.8) | 1.0000c |
| Skin graft | 3 (21.4) | 5 (19.2) | |