TY - JOUR T1 - Utility of sentinel node biopsy in vulvar and vaginal melanoma: report of two cases and review of the literature JF - International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer JO - Int J Gynecol Cancer SP - 720 LP - 723 DO - 10.1136/ijgc-00009577-200705000-00024 VL - 17 IS - 3 AU - K. K. Dhar AU - N. Das AU - D. A. Brinkman AU - J. L. Beynon AU - R. P. Woolas Y1 - 2007/05/01 UR - http://ijgc.bmj.com/content/17/3/720.abstract N2 - Sentinel node (SN) biopsy is widely applied for treatment planning of cutaneous melanoma. However, using this strategy in female lower genital tract tumors has not yet been established. We report two cases, one each of vulvar and vaginal melanoma who underwent SN biopsy and review the available literature. Our experience and available limited evidence suggests that this low morbidity technique can be used for obtaining prognostic information and hence treatment planning for this disease. However, a false negative rate perhaps in the order of 15% suggests that careful consideration is necessary before using sentinel lymph node biopsy in the management of vulvar and vaginal melanoma. ER -