Multi-nodal basin drainage in lower limb melanoma.

Lymph node status is an important factor that influences outcomes in melanoma. Whilst certain anatomical areas have multiple-nodal basin drainage, limb melanomas are thought to have more predictable lymphatic drainage patterns, with lower limb melanomas reliably draining to the corresponding ipsilateral inguinal lymph node basin with occasional popliteal drainage. Here we share our unique experience of a patient with a lower limb melanoma demonstrating sentinel lymph nodes, and subsequent metastatic spread, in both the ipsilateral and contralateral inguinal lymph node basins, highlighting an important learning point with respect to our clinical examination of melanoma patients.

Implementation of a telemedicine service to provide skin cancer care in a tertiary plastic surgery unit during COVID-19 - a comprehensive review.

BACKGROUND: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our tertiary skin cancer service had to adapt rapidly to reduce hospital footfall. Consequently, all clinic appointments for skin cancer patients were converted to telephone consultations. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of this new service. METHODS: This study consisted of three domains: patient and staff experience, efficacy and productivity. Patient and staff experience was assessed through prospective surveys. Efficacy of telephone appointments was assessed through prospective review of clinic coding to evaluate outcomes including rate of conversion to face-to-face appointment. Markers of treatment pathway efficacy included time from referral to surgical listing and the incidence of benign lesions placed on skin cancer pathways. Productivity was evaluated through review of the cumulative number of completed and missed appointments over a 1-month period before and during the pandemic. RESULTS: All patients were satisfied with the telephone consultation and were preferred to previous experience of face-to-face appointments by 67%. Over 80% of responding clinicians felt telephone clinics should remain as a legacy of COVID-19. Time from referral to scheduling for surgery was significantly shorter for urgent lesions when listed through a teleclinic compared to face-to-face appointment. The telephone service allowed us to maintain 46% of the plastic surgery outpatient activity of May 2019 and missed appointments almost halved. CONCLUSION: Patients and clinicians have responded positively to the new service. This study highlights the merits of an ongoing telephone clinic service for select patients on resolution of the COVID-19 impact on health services.

Groin dissections in skin cancer: Effect of a change in prophylactic antibiotic protocol.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether groin dissection surgical site infection (SSI) incidence changed with shorter post-operative antibiotic prophylaxis. BACKGROUND: Post-operative prophylaxis changed due to antimicrobial stewardship, from regular oral antibiotics until drain removal, to three intravenous doses. Both groups had a single intravenous dose at induction. METHODS: A prospective database of groin dissections for metastatic skin cancer was retrospectively reviewed for SSI according to Public Health England criteria. Eighty groin dissections in 79 consecutive patients were included: 40 had oral antibiotics until drain removal [mean 26±7 (range 19-36) days] and 39 had three post-operative intravenous doses. RESULTS: Longer prophylaxis was associated with lower SSI incidence [10 (25%) versus 21 (54%), odds ratio (OR) 3.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.34-9.08, p = 0.009], fewer deep infections [5 (13%) versus 16 (41%), OR 4.89, 95% CI 1.57-15.13, p = 0.004], fewer readmissions for infection [5 (13%) versus 15 (38%), OR 4.38, 95% CI 1.40-13.65, p = 0.008], but similar seroma incidence [18 (45%) versus 16 (41%), OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.35-2.07, p = 0.72] and wound dehiscence [7 (18%) versus 5 (13%), OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.20-2.40, p = 0.56]. BMI ≥30 (n = 21) was associated with SSI, occurring in 13 of 21 (62%) (OR 3.859, 95% CI 1.34-11.10, p = 0.01). Median infection onset was 22 days (IQR 12-27) versus 17 (IQR 13-22), (p = 0.53). Multiple organisms were cultured in 21 of 31 (68%) patients with positive microbiological samples. CONCLUSIONS: SSI rates doubled with shorter prophylaxis; deep infections and readmissions for infection tripled. Obesity was independently associated with infection. Seroma and wound dehiscence incidence were unchanged. Infections mainly occurred in the third week after surgery and were polymicrobial.