Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39138920›Full record

ArticleJournal of surgical oncology2025

Patterns of forearm lymphatic drainage to the epitrochlear lymph nodes in 1400 cutaneous melanoma patients.

James E Fanning, Dhruv Singhal, Hayley M Reynolds, Tharanga D Jayathungage Don, Kevin J Donohoe, Hiroo Suami, David K V Chung

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of surgical oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

James E FanningDivision of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Dhruv SinghalDivision of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6300-1647
Hayley M ReynoldsAuckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Tharanga D Jayathungage DonAuckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Kevin J DonohoeDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Hiroo SuamiAustralian Lymphoedema Education Research and Treatment Program (ALERT), Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4841-3328
David K V ChungDiscipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Funding

Organ Specific ProjectU54HL165440 · NHLBI · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI HONG, YOUNG-KWON, SINGHAL, DHRUV · 2022 to 2025
$5.8M
Structural and Functional Remodeling of the Lymphatic System After Axillary Lymph Node DissectionR01HL157991 · NHLBI · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI Dhruv Singhal · 2021 to 2026
$3.1M
Health Research Council of New Zealand Sir Charles Health Research FellowshipJOBST Foundation 2023 JOBST Lymphatic Research GrantNew Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment 12 Labours project grantNHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL157991NHLBI NIH HHS R01HL157991NHLBI NIH HHS U54 HL165440NHLBI NIH HHS U54HL165440University of Auckland Strategic Research Investment Fund Grant
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVariations of hand and forearm lymphatic drainage to upper-arm lymphatic pathways may impact the route of melanoma metastasis. This study compared rates of lymphatic drainage to epitrochlear nodes between anatomic divisions of the hand and forearm to determine whether the anatomic distribution of hand and forearm melanomas affects the likelihood of drainage to epitrochlear lymph nodes.

methodsUsing a single-institution lymphoscintigraphy database, we identified all patients with cutaneous melanoma on the hand and forearm. A body-map two-dimensional coordinate system was used to classify cutaneous melanoma sites between radial-ulnar and dorsal-volar divisions. Sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) visualized on lymphoscintigraphy were recorded. Proportions of patients with epitrochlear SLNs were compared between anatomic divisions using χ

resultsOf 3628 upper extremity cutaneous melanoma patients who underwent lymphatic mapping with lymphoscintigraphy, 1400 met inclusion criteria. Twenty-one percent of patients demonstrated epitrochlear SLNs. Epitrochlear SLNs were observed in 27% of dorsal forearm melanomas and 15% of volar forearm melanomas (p < 0.001). Epitrochlear SLNs were observed in 31% of ulnar forearm melanomas and 17% of radial forearm melanomas (p < 0.001).

conclusionsHigher proportions of dorsal and ulnar forearm melanomas have epitrochlear SLNs. Metastasis to epitrochlear SLNs may be more likely from melanomas in these respective forearm regions.

Indexed as

ForearmLymph NodesMelanomaSentinel Lymph NodeSkin NeoplasmsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCutaneous Malignant MelanomaFemaleHandHumansLymphatic MetastasisLymphoscintigraphyMaleMiddle Agedbreast cancer‐related lymphedemaepitrochlearlymphatic drainagelymph nodemelanoma

Identifiers

PMID39138920
PMCPMC11874046

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.