Systematic review and meta-analysis of survival benefit from sentinel node biopsy for melanoma

A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published up to January 8, 2025, evaluated survival benefit from sentinal node biopsy (SNB) for melanoma in adult patients. Thirteen studies (40,287 participants) were analyzed and showed a significantly reduced risk of death from melanoma for people who underwent SNB (HR 0.86; p<0.0001) with low heterogeneity (I² 16%). Sensitivity analyses confirmed that this result was not dependent on any single study or on the use of systemic therapy. A similar result was obtained from the analysis of the five studies (27,540 participants) that reported 5-year risk of death from melanoma (HR 0.84; p<0.001) with low heterogeneity (I² 15%). From nine studies (11,625 participants) reporting an adjusted risk of recurrence, the HR was 0.71 (p<0.001) with low heterogeneity (I² 23%). The authors conclude that people with melanoma who underwent SNB had a significantly reduced risk of death from melanoma and recurrence compared with those who did not.