Table 4.

Patient characteristics

	Overall	CLND	TLND	LDC
Number of patients	143 (100%)	52 (36.4%)	84 (58.7%)	7 (4.9%)
Age (years)
Mean	58.1	52.4	61.4	67.9
Range	20—89	20—81	25—89	43—78
Sex
Male	84 (58.7%)	27 (51.9%)	53 (63.1%)	4 (57.1%)
Female	59 (41.3%)	25 (48.1%)	31 (36.9%)	3 (42.9%)
Body mass index (kg/m2)
Mean	26.1	25.7	26.3	26.2
Range	18.0—38.4	19.3—38.4	18.0—38.0	20.8—32.3
Localisation of primary tumour
Extremity	71 (49.7%)	29 (55.8%)	39 (46.4)%	3 (42.9%)
Trunk	53 (37.1%)	22 (42.3%)	29 (34.5%)	2 (28.6%)
Unknown	19 (13.2%)	1 (1.9%)	16 (19.1%)	2 (28.6%)
Primary tumour type
Nodular melanoma	71 (49.7%)	34 (65.4%)	33 (39.3%)	4 (57.1%)
Superficial spreading melanoma	23 (16.1%)	8 (15.4%)	15 (17.9%)
Acrolentiginous melanoma	10 (7.0%)	2 (3.8%)	8 (9.5%)
Not specified	39 (24.2%)	8 (15.4%)	28 (33.3%)	3 (42.9%)
Clark level
II	2 (1.4%)	14 (26.9%)	2 (2.4%)
III	36 (25.2%)	36 (69.2%)	22 (26.2%)
IV	77 (53.9%)	2 (3.8%)	39 (46.4%)	2 (28.6%)
V	7 (4.9%)		3 (3.6%)	2 (28.6%)
Unknown	21 (14.7%)		18 (21.4%)	3 (42.9%)
Ulceration of primary tumour	56 (39.2%)	24 (46.2%)	31 (36.9%)	1 (14.3%)
Breslow’s depth
0.10—0.99mm	16 (11.2%)	2 (3.8%)	14 (16.7%)
1.00—3.99mm	77 (53.8%)	37 (71.2%)	38 (45.2%)	2 (28.6%)
≥4.00mm	29 (20.3%)	13 (25%)	14 (16.7%)	2 (28.6%)
Unknown	21 (14.7%)		18 (21.4%)	3 (42.9%)
Localisation of lymph node dissection
Groin (ilioinguinal)	75 (52.4%)	29 (55.8%)	41 (48.8%)	5 (71.4%)
Axilla	68 (47.6%)	23 (44.2%)	43 (51.1%)	2 (28.6%)
Number of lymph nodes excised (mean/range)	12.1 (1—45)	12.9 (2—14)	11.5 (1—45)	14.4 (3—23)
Number of tumour positive lymph nodes (mean/range)	2.7 (0—18)	1.0 (0—4)	3.4 (1—24)	8.2 (3—18)
Wound catheter suction in days (mean/range)	9.0 (1—37)	9.3 (1—37)	9.2 (1—23)	3.9 (2—10)
Mean hospital stay in days (mean/range)	9.2 (1—44)	10.4 (3—44)	8.6 (1—33)	6.7 (3—15)