Parotidectomy in patients with head and neck cutaneous melanoma with cervical lymph node involvement.

Background: Parotidectomy in melanoma of the coronal scalp and face with clinically involved cervical lymph node metastasis is based on predicted cervical lymphatic drainage described by O'Brien.
Methods: In total, 40 parotidectomies with en bloc therapeutic neck dissection were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: Lymphatic spread of melanoma to the parotid lymph nodes was observed in 10 of 40 specimens (25%). Eight of the 10 parotid-positive patients developed a recurrence vs 17 of the 30 parotid-negative patients (P = 0.28). There were no differences in overall survival, melanoma-specific survival, and disease-free survival between the parotid-positive and parotid-negative patients.
Conclusion: Although in this series no survival differences were found, parotidectomy still merits a sustained role in therapeutic neck dissection procedures to improve regional control and to prevent facial nerve damage after surgery for a second relapse from occult metastases in the parotid.
(© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)