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Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) for melanoma patients has been questioned. We aimed to study high-risk stage II melanoma patients who underwent SNB to determine what the prognostic factors regarding recurrence and mortality were, and evaluate how relevant SNB status is in this scenario. This was a retrospective analysis of clinical stage IIB/IIC melanoma patients who underwent SNB from 2000 to 2015 in a single institution. Prognostic factors related to distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS) and melanoma-specific survival (MSS) were assessed from multiple Cox regression. Relevant variables were used to create risk predictor nomograms for DRFS and MSS. From 1213 SNB, 259 were performed for clinical stage IIB/IIC melanoma patients. SNB status was the most important variable for both endpoints. Patients with positive SNB presented median DRFS of 35.73 months (95% CI 21.38–50.08, SE 7.32) and median MSS of 66.4 months (95% CI 29.76–103.03, SE 18.69), meanwhile both median DRFS and MSS were not achieved for those with negative SNB (logrank

Non-sentinel node (NSN) positivity impacts the prognosis of melanoma patients; however, the benefits of completion lymph node dissection in patients with positive sentinel nodes (SNs) are limited. We aimed to present a predictive nomogram for NSN positivity in melanoma patients with a positive SN biopsy. This retrospective analysis from patients who underwent SN biopsy in a Brazilian institution from 2000 to 2015 was used for the construction and internal validation of the nomogram. This nomogram was then externally validated in a cohort of Dutch patients. The Brazilian cohort comprised 1213 patients, with a mean follow-up of 5.11 years. Breslow thickness (odds ratio [OR] 1.170, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.043–1.314]; p = 0.008), number of positive SNs (OR 1.092, 95% CI 1.034–1.153; p = 0.001), and largest diameter of the metastatic deposit (OR 3.217, 95% CI 1.551–6.674; p = 0.002) were statistically significant for NSN positivity. Internal validation was performed using a bootstrapping technique. A good performance was observed (Brier score 0.097) and an excellent power of discrimination was achieved (area under the curve [AUC] 0.822). The nomogram was then applied to the Dutch cohort, and its overall performance (Brier score 0.085), calibration (Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test; p = 0.198), and discriminatory power (AUC 0.752, 95% CI 0.615–0.890) were all adequate. We presented a nomogram for assessing NSN probability that should not only be used for surgical considerations but also for risk stratification and clinical decisions. Internal validation has shown that this is an adequate model, while external validation increases the model’s reliability and suggests that it can be globally incorporated.