Objetivo: The aim was to study the occurence of in- transit nodes at a preoperative lymphoscintigraphy for patients with primary melanoma, and to reveal their potential role in prognosis.

Material e Métodos: From 1999 to 2009, 712 patients, hospitalized for wide excision of a clinically localized primary cutaneous truncal ,hand and forearm and foot and leg melanomas, had a static lymphoscintigraphy on the day before surgery with Tc99m-Phytate. Recurrence and survival patterns were analysed for patients with in-transit node surgical removed and submitted a CLND when sentinel node was positive.

Resultados: In- transit nodes were visualized by lymphoscintigraphy in 6% of the patients, 13% of whom had a later local or linfonodal recurrence. None of the truncal or hand and forearm melanomas revealed recurrence or distant metástases. Otherwise, acral, subungueal, plantar or legs melanomas had 33% of positive sentinel node, with 66% of them in-transit. 44% revealed local, linfonodal or distant metástases and death ocurred in 26%. The melanomas in the in-transit legs and foot node group were thicker, and ulceration was slightly more frequent.

Conclusão: The clinical significance of the in-transit nodes, occasionally seen in melanoma patients, may suggest a poorer prognosis and a substantial risk of a later recurrence.