Inguinal node metastases

Twenty‐two hundred and thirty‐two patients with inguinal node metastases were reviewed. The primary site of malignancy was determined in 2210 (99%) of these patients and was, in order of frequency, skin of the lower extremities, cervix, vulva, skin of the trunk, rectum and anus, ovary and penis. The determinant three‐year survival rate for the remaining 22 patients with metastatic disease from an unknown primary site was 50%. The source of the primary (stomach) was discovered in only one of the 22 patients; however, the treatment of choice was superficial groin dissection, and if surgical excision was adequate, radiation therapy did not appear to be necessary to obtain local control.