The question of whether to undergo a SLN biopsy for melanoma is a difficult one. It is clear that some experts recommend it while others don’t. If you live in Boston you will be told one thing. If you live in Montreal you’ll be told another. Where does that leave a patient? In England the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides decision aids for many conditions. Here is their SLN Decision Aid for melanoma. Please give it thought and discuss it with your dermatologist or surgeon. The decision is really up to you. It boils down to “What Matters To You.” Option-Grid-Sentinel-Node-Biopsy-yes-or-no
Monthly Archives: April 2018
To JR – whoever you are
by Jon Karnes, M.D. I stumbled across a negative review of myself by a patient scheduled to see me on a day I had a family emergency. It got under my skin and, for whatever reason, in response I started writing. The following poem is what came out of it. It has been therapeutic and I’m happy to share it with you. JR–Whoever you are We actually have a lot in common When you gave me that one star and lumped me together with Starbucks, Sam’s Club, and the United States Post Office — “it is only Doctors that get away with making an appointment with clients and then routinely … Continue reading