Is There an Indication for Routine Chest X-Ray in Initial Staging of Melanoma?

BackgroundOur aim was to evaluate therapeutic consequences of preoperative staging with Chest X-ray (CXR) in patients with a primary melanoma planned for sentinel node biopsy (SNB).MethodsFrom a prospective database, 248 medical records of patients treated for primary melanoma were extracted. CXRs were made prior to SNB, and examined by radiologists. Results were classified as follows: no metastasis, inconclusive, or suspect for metastasis. Furthermore, changes in planned treatment were recorded.ResultsCXR was performed in 227 (92%) cases. In 95% of these patients, the CXR showed no metastasis. In 5%, the CXR was inconclusive; all of these CXR results appeared to be false-positive after complementary radiodiagnostic imaging and/or follow-up. All patients received a SNB.ConclusionPreoperative CXR did not identify pulmonary metastasis and did not change planned treatment strategies. We suggest that CXR has no added value in the routine workup of patients with a primary melanoma.