Since the year 2001 the sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is the part of a standard care of patients with melanoma examined at melanoma clinic of The Department of Dermatology of General Teaching Hospital. Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and intra-operative SLN mapping and biopsy had no complications and minimal burden for the patients. In agreement with literatuře data the positive SLN were found in one third of patients with advanced melanoma, higher Breslow thickness and Clark's level and more often described ulceration in comparison with those who had no SLN metastases. Despite the short follow-up period from 0,8 to 47,3 months it is, already, possible to observe the differences in SLN positive patients survival what confirms, that micrometastases detection in the sentinel lymph nodes is a significant independent prognos-tic factor determining the unfavourable disease course in these patients.

        Key words: melanoma - sentinel lymph node - micrometastases - disease prognosis