Melanoma Surgery to be Performed on Internet

The incidence of melanoma is increasing at a rate higher than any other cancer. While it currently accounts for approximately four percent of skin cancers, it causes the most skin cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2006 there will be 62,190 new cases of melanoma in the United States and about 7,910 people will die of this disease.

On November 7 at 5 p.m. EST, Edward Levine, M.D., professor of surgical oncology at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre, and colleagues will perform sentinel lymph node mapping and surgical removal of a melanoma during a live webcast.The sentinel node is the first regional node in the lymphatic drainage pathway from the primary tumour. The tumour status of the sentinel node determines the likelihood of whether the disease has spread to the remaining lymph nodes.Sentinel lymph node mapping improves the staging of the disease and accuracy of the prognosis. It also serves as a guide for determining what additional therapies would be most effective after surgery.(Source: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre: November 2006.)