Chowdhury et al — Truncal Melanoma Contralateral SLN Drainage Prevalence
Retrospective review, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK, Oct 2006–Nov 2024.
Correction — see Fact-Check Log
Original note said “1300 patients… 1.1%… most relevant location was at the back, 21%.” Corrected below.
Verified findings
- 1308 consecutive patients (not 1300) underwent WLE + SLNB for truncal melanoma
- Contralateral drainage occurred in 14 patients (1.1%)
- Location of primary scar in the 14: left lower back 4 (28.6%), right upper back 4 (28.6%), right lower back 2 (14.3%), right upper abdomen 2 (14.3%), left lower abdomen 1 (7.1%), right upper chest 1 (7.1%) → 10/14 (71%) posterior torso, of which 6/14 (43%) specifically lower back
- 3 patients (21.4%) experienced melanoma recurrence during follow-up — this is the recurrence rate, not a location statistic
- Authors hypothesise congenital lymphatic variation as a contributing factor
My take
This is our closest epidemiological comparator — same drainage direction question (truncal melanoma → contralateral axilla) as our case. Use the corrected numbers above directly in the Introduction/Discussion.