i31-SLNB test outperforms MIA nomogram in stratifying sentinel lymph node positivity risk
The i31-SLNB test has been shown to more accurately identifies patients at low and high risk of sentinel lymph node (SLN) positivity than the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) nomogram.
Sentinel lymph node biopsies (SLNB) provide essential prognostic information for cutaneous melanoma; however, the majority (up to 88%) return negative results, resulting in unnecessary surgery and associated complications for patients. Current NCCN CM Guidelines recommend offering SLNB when the SLN positivity risk is above 10% and avoiding it when the likely risk is less than 5%.
Recent research published in Dermatology and Therapy, demonstrated that DecisionDx-Melanoma’s i31-SLNB test could be a more accurate tool for assessing SLN positivity risk and stratifying patients under consideration for SLNB. The i31-SLNB test was able to predict <5% risk of SLN positivity more often than the MIA nomogram and identify SLN positivity at a lower rate, an SLN positivity rate of 2.6% was observed using the i31-SLNB test compared to 5.8% for the MIA nomogram.
It was also noted that the MIA nomogram failed to identify patients with SLN risk below the 5% threshold and that the i31-SLNB also outperformed the MIA nomogram when analyzing discordant risk classifications.
“…accurately identifying which patients are unlikely to have SLN involvement remains an important challenge in melanoma care. The study findings demonstrate that incorporating tumor biology through DecisionDx-Melanoma’s i31-SLNB test result can improve risk assessment, helping clinicians better distinguish which patients with melanoma may safely avoid SLNB and which should consider having the surgery,” explained lead author Rohit Sharma (Marshfield Clinic Health System, WI, USA).
Several studies, including research published in Future Oncology, are contributing to a growing body of prospective evidence that support the use of DecisionDx-Melanoma in informing SLNB decision-making for cutaneous melanoma patients.