Clinical outcomes and risk stratification of early-stage melanoma micrometastases

There is no consensus on indications for offering adjuvant systemic therapy for patients with early-stage melanomas with low disease burden sentinel node (SN) micrometastases (AJCC IIIA disease). A multinational retrospective study found that patients with AJCC IIIA melanoma with sentinel node (SN) tumor deposits ≥ 0.3 mm in maximum dimension have increased risk of disease progression and may benefit from adjuvant systemic therapy. Patients with smaller deposits can be managed similar to their SN-negative, AJCC IB counterparts, thereby avoiding regular radiological surveillance and more intensive follow-up.