CHICAGO: Worldwide, people who are diagnosed with melanoma are urged to have any lymph nodes that test positive for cancer removed, but researchers said Saturday the operation doesn't necessarily help patients live longer.

Instead, many patients with advanced skin cancer that has just begun to spread to the lymph nodes nearest to the skin tumor could have the tumor removed but likely skip the additional surgery, known as complete lymph node dissection, according to the results of the randomized study released at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual conference in Chicago.

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