Treatment of contralateral N0 neck in early squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue: elective neck dissection versus observation

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Prophylactic treatment of contralateral N0 neck in early squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral tongue is a controversial issue. The aim of this study was to analyze the rates of occult metastases and their prognostic effects in stage I and stage II SCC of the oral tongue, and to compare the results of elective neck dissection to observation of the contralateral N0 neck in the treatment of these patients. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 54 patients who were treated at Severance Hospital from 1992 to 2003 and had been diagnosed with stage I or stage II SCC of the oral tongue and had not received prior treatment. All patients underwent an ipsilateral elective neck dissection simultaneously with the primary lesion. The management of the contralateral N0 necks involved "watchful waiting" in 29 patients and elective neck dissection in 25 patients. Surgical treatment was followed by radiotherapy in 20 patients. Of these, seven patients belonged to the "observation" group who did not receive contralateral elective neck dissection. The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 110 months, with a mean of 56.3 months. Data were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, the log-rank test, and the chi(2) test. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (28%, 15 of 54) had occult metastases. Of these, 14 patients (26%, 14 of 54) had ipsilateral pathologic metastases. The remaining case (4%, 1 of 25) had the only contralateral level II occult neck metastasis without ipsilateral metastasis. Disease recurred in 17 of 54 patients (31%). Of these, eight cases (47%, 8 of 17) had regional recurrences. All regional recurrences developed in the ipsilateral neck; there were no cases of contralateral neck recurrence. The 5-year actuarial disease-free survival rates were 82% for the "observation" group and 68% for the elective neck dissection group. This difference was not statistically significant (P = .182). The 5-year actuarial disease-free survival rates were 83% for the "observation" group when those patients who underwent radiotherapy were excluded (n = 22) and 68% for the elective supraomohyoid neck dissection group (n = 25), which showed no statistically significant difference (P = .127). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that ipsilateral elective neck management is indicated for stage I and II SCC of the oral tongue. On the other hand, our series suggests that contralateral occult lymph node metastasis was unlikely in early-stage oral tongue SCC, and that there was no survival benefit for patients who underwent elective neck dissection in place of observation. Thus, it may not harmful to observe the contralateral N0 neck in the treatment of early oral tongue cancer.     

Selective neck dissection for the treatment of neck metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine the proportion of patients disease free in the neck, with the primary site controlled, who have been treated with a selective neck dissection (SND) for squamous cell carcinoma (SCCa) of the upper aerodigestive tract, and who had cervical metastasis less than 3 cm. STUDY DESIGN: A cohort of patients who fit the inclusion/exclusion criteria was identified retrospectively. Then all surviving patients were followed for a minimum of 2 years. METHODS: A group of 52 patients who had 58 selective neck dissections for cervical metastases from SCCa of the upper aerodigestive tract were identified. The mean age was 56 years (range, 20-85 y), there were 40 males and 12 females, and mean follow-up was 24.5 months (range, 1-64 mo). Twenty-six patients had clinically negative (cNo) neck examinations and 26 had clinically positive neck examinations. Postoperative radiation was given for extracapsular spread, greater than 2 positive nodes, T3, T4, or recurrent disease if the patient had not received radiation before surgery. These radiation criteria excluded 18 patients from postoperative radiation treatment. RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the regional control rate with the primary site controlled was 0.94. Six patients developed recurrent neck disease. Three of these 6 patientswere surgically salvaged. Four recurrences were in the dissected field and 2 were out of the dissected field (level V). CONCLUSIONS: With similar indications for radiation therapy, the regional control rate in this cohort is comparable to control rates obtained with modified radical neck dissection.     

Immunohistochemical detection of cervical lymph node micrometastases from T2N0 tongue cancer

Conclusions

These results indicate that extensive, multiple cervical micrometastases occurred from an early stage in patients with T2N0 tongue cancer. The presence of micrometastases suggests the necessity of preventive neck dissection for Level I–IV nodes as a radical treatment.

Objective

Cervical lymph node metastases occur with a relatively high frequency in patients with T2N0 squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, and control of the metastases greatly influences the prognosis of patients. In this study, micrometastases in the cervical lymph nodes were investigated to clarify the necessity and required extent of preventive neck dissection.

Material and methods

We investigated micrometastases in 24 subjects who had previously been diagnosed with T2N0 tongue cancer. We performed immunostaining with anti-cytokeratin antibody cocktail AE1/AE3 of sections of 401 paraffin-embedded lymph nodes obtained from these patients.

Results

Micrometastases were observed in 14 patients (58%) and were most abundant in Level II nodes (n=11; 46%). Micrometastases were observed in the Level IV nodes of 3 patients (13%), and upstaging to pN2b occurred in 7 patients (29%).     

A review of clinical and histological parameters associated with contralateral neck metastases in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC)bas a high incidence of cervical micrometastases and sometimes metastasizes contralaterally because of the rich lymphatic intercommunications relative to submucosal plexus of oral cavity that freely communicate across the midline,and it can facilitate the spread of neoplastic cells to any area of the neck consequently.Clinical and histopathologic factors continue to provide predictive information to contralateral neck metastases(CLNM)in OSCC,which determine prophylactic and adjuvant treatments for an individual patient.This review describes the predictive value of clinical-histopathologic factors,which relate to primary tumor and cervical lymph nodes,and surgical dissection and adjuvant treatments.In addition,the indications for elective contralateral neck dissection and adjuvant radiotherapy(aRT)and strategies for follow-up are offered,which is strongly focused by clinicians to prevent later CLNM and poor prognosis subsequently.     

Sentinel node biopsy for oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

OBJECTIVES: The aims were to assess the technical feasibility of sentinel node biopsy (SNB), to validate SNB against elective neck dissection, and to report the results of the clinical application of the SNB concept for early oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective consecutive cohort analysis. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2006, a total of 79 patients were included. Lymphatic mapping consisted of preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative use of a hand-held gammaprobe. Twenty-eight patients were assessed for feasibility and validation; the SNB was done in context with an elective neck dissection. Fifty-one patients were evaluated in an observational trial; elective neck dissection was performed only in case of positive SNB. RESULTS: Validation revealed a sentinel node detection rate by lymphoscintigraphy of 93%, with the gammaprobe of 100%. The negative predictive value of a negative SNB was 100%. During the observational trial 40% of the patients were upstaged as a result of a positive SNB. Intraoperative frozen section analysis showed a negative predictive value of 83%. Two patients (6%) with negative SNB experienced a neck recurrence, the negative predictive value of SNB was therefore 94%. Patients with positive SNB were treated successfully with elective neck dissection. CONCLUSIONS: SNB is technically feasible and reproducible with a high sentinel node detection rate. Validation against elective neck dissection revealed a negative predictive value of 100%. Application of the SNB concept in clinical practice was very successful. The recurrence rate within the neck was very low and the morbidity and cost of an elective neck dissection could be spared to 60% of the patients.     

Results of selective neck dissection in the primary management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Selective neck dissection (SND) is known to be a valid procedure to stage the clinically N0 neck but its reliability to control metastatic neck disease remains controversial. This study analysed if selective neck dissection is a reliable procedure to prevent regional metastatic disease in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We retrospectively analysed the medical records of 163 previously untreated patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx and hypopharynx treated initially in our departement from January 1990 to December 2002. All patients had unilateral or bilateral SND, in combination with surgical resection of the primary tumour. SND was performed in 281 necks. Finally, 146 patients who underwent 249 SND (39 I–III, I–IV, 210 II–IV, II–V) had adequate follow-up and were assessed for the regional control. The median follow-up was 37 months (1–180 months). The end points of the study were neck control following SND and overall survival. Twenty-five percent (30/119) of patients staged cN0 had lymph node (LN) metastasis. Overall, regional recurrence was observed in 2.8% of the necks (7/249): 1.6% (4/249) in dissected field and 1.2% (3/249) in undissected field. Seventy-eight percent (194/249) of the necks were staged pN0 with a subsequent failure rate of 1.5% (3/194); 16% (39/249) were staged pN1 and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) was proposed in 21 of these patients. The failure rate with PORT was 9.5% and 5.5% without PORT. Six percent (16/249) of the necks were staged pN2b and all had PORT with one subsequent recurrence. Extracapsular spread (ECS) was reported in 16.5% of positive SND specimens (9/55); all by one were treated by PORT with a subsequent failure rate of 22% (2/9). At 3 years, overall survival for the whole population was 70% and statistically highly correlated with pN stage (p<0.001). These results support the reliability of SND to stage the clinically N0 neck. SND is a definitive operation not only in pN0 but also in most pN1 and pN2b necks. PORT is not justified in pN1 neck without ECS. In pN2b necks, the low rate of recurrence supports adjuvant PORT. The presence of ECS, despite adjuvant PORT, remains associated with a higher risk of recurrence.     

颈清扫术在临床Ⅰ期舌鳞状细胞癌患者中的疗效评价

目的探讨颈清扫在临床Ⅰ期（cT1NOM0期）舌鳞状细胞癌（简称鳞癌）治疗中的作用。方法回顾性分析1984年11月-1999年11月130例临床Ⅰ期舌活动部鳞癌患者的临床病理资料，该组患者的治疗方式以手术为主，3l例（23．8％）只行原发灶手术，99例行原发灶手术加颈清扫术，包括择区性颈清扫（Ⅰ-Ⅲ区或Ⅰ～Ⅳ区颈清扫）20例和全颈清扫（Ⅰ～Ⅴ区颈清扫）79例。结果术后病理证实颈清扫组的隐匿淋巴结率为12．0％（12／99）。全组病例随访5年以上，单纯行原发灶手术组、原发灶手术加择区性颈清扫组和原发灶手术加全颈清扫组的颈部控制失败率分别为25．8％（8／31）、15．0％（3／20）和7．6％（6／79）。单纯原发灶手术组和颈清扫组之间的颈部控制失败率差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。3组手术后总体生存率差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。结论颈清扫术可能提高临床Ⅰ期舌鳞癌患者的颈部控制率，本研究未能证实颈清扫术能降低其远处转移率以及能提高其生存率。是否需要对所有临床。     

Deferring planned neck dissection following chemoradiation for stage IV head and neck cancer: the utility of PET-CT

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether combined positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET-CT) may be of value in deferring planned neck dissections for patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). STUDY DESIGN: Observational study of patients with de novo cervical > or =N2 regional spread of HNSCC in a tertiary care academic medical center. METHODS: Forty-three patients were identified who underwent post-treatment PET-CT within 6 months of completing neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with radiation therapy (CRT). The PET-CT was "positive" if the radiologist recommended tissue sampling or resection of cervical lymph nodes, or if there was progressive neck disease in the setting of distant metastatic disease. Patients who had positive PET-CT underwent confirmatory biopsy given clinical suspicion for regional cervical metastasis without distant disease. Patients with negative PET-CT were followed clinically and radiographically for a minimum of 5 months (median 18.1 months) after CRT. RESULTS: Ten (22%) of the 43 post-treatment PET-CT studies were positive. Seven of the 10 PET-CT scans (70% of positives) were true-positive given histologically-confirmed residual viable tumor or progressive disease including disease in the neck. The 3 remaining studies (30% of positives) were false-positive PET-CT results, given resolution of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) avidity on subsequent imaging or tissue sampling demonstrating absence of viable tumor cells. Of the 33 patients with negative PET-CTs in the neck, 1 patient had absence of FDG-avidity in the setting of malignant disease in the neck (3% false negatives); otherwise, patients with an initially negative PET-CT scan had no recurrences during the study (97% true negatives). This corresponds to a sensitivity of 87.5% (7/8), a specificity of 91% (32/35), a positive predictive value of 70% (7/10), a negative predictive value of 97% (32/33), and accuracy of 91% (39/43) for PET-CT scans in the detection of cervical metastatic disease after CRT. Overall, 37 (86%) of 43 patients were spared neck dissection using this technology without evidence of recurrent disease in the neck at extended follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that planned neck dissection after CRT for HNSCC may be deferred in favor of serial PET-CT imaging, and that sampling of areas of suspicious FDG-avid uptake can be rationally considered prior to therapeutic neck dissection. These data also suggest that negative PET-CT scans are highly reliable for the absence of residual cervical nodal disease.     

Prognostic significance of the number of lymph nodes in elective neck dissection for tongue and mouth floor cancers

The presence of metastatic lymph nodes is a relevant aspect in the treatment of head and neck cancer, bringing about a 50% reduction in survival.ObjectiveTo assess the number of lymph nodes removed in the neck dissection and their relationship with the prognosis.MethodsA retrospective study involving 143 patients with tongue and mouth floor epidermoid carcinoma, which histological exam showed no lymph node metastases. Among those, 119 were males and 24 females, with mean age of 54 years. As to the primary tumor site, 65 were in the tongue and 78 in the mouth floor. T stage distribution was of four T1, 84 T2, 36 T3 and 19 T4. We carried out 176 neck dissections, unilateral in 110 cases and bilateral in 33. Of these, 78 were radical and 98 selective. The patients were broken down into three groups, according to the 33 and 66 percentiles of the number of lymph nodes resected.ResultsThe mean number of resected lymph nodes was 27; 24 in selective dissections and 31 in the complete ones. We did not have statistically significant differences when associated to the T and N stages.ConclusionsThe larger number of lymph nodes dissected in the neck dissection identifies the group of better prognoses among pN0 cases.     

Neck dissection for unknown cancer of the head and neck in the era of chemoradiation

Purpose

To report outcomes for patients with cervical lymph node metastases from an unknown primary site of the head and neck treated with either non-operative therapy or neck dissection followed by adjuvant therapy.

The impact of virus in N3 node dissection for head and neck cancer

This study is to determine the impact of virus in surgical outcomes among patients of head and neck cancer with N3 lymph node metastasis. A retrospective analysis was conducted for 32 patients with operable N3 neck metastasis undergoing surgical treatment between January 1987 and October 2006. The nuclei of the tumor cells were investigated for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNAs and were taken into account as the variable for survival analysis. The primary sites were oropharynx in 11 patients, tongue in 3, buccal mucosa in 1, hypopharynx in 8 and unknown primary in 9. The five-year cumulative overall survival rate was 40.7% and 5-year cumulative regional control rate was 55.8%. The 5-year cumulative overall survival rate of patients with unknown primary site (72.9%) and HPV or EBV positive in the tumor (77.8%) were significantly higher than those patients with known primary site (31.3%) and HPV or EBV negative in the tumor (27.4%), respectively (P = 0.0335 and P = 0.0348, log rank test). In conclusion, surgery with adjuvant therapy offers reasonable outcomes for operable N3 node in head and neck cancer in our cohort. In addition, patients with HPV or EBV positive in the tumor have a better survival.     

Modern imaging techniques and ultrasound-guided aspiration cytology for the assessment of neck node metastases: a prospective comparative study

Summary Although palpation has proved to be an unreliable staging procedure, the indications for and the implications of more reliable radiologic staging methods for the neck in patients with a primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck remain controversial. Only a very accurate imaging technique can replace neck dissection in clinical NO disease. This study compares the value of palpation with computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) with or without guided aspiration cytology for neck node staging. One hundred and thirty-two patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were examined radiologically before undergoing a total of 180 neck dissections as part of their treatment. CT, US and MRI proved to be significantly more accurate than palpation for cervical lymph node staging. The accuracy of US-guided aspiration cytology was significantly better than of any other technique used in this study. Modern imaging techniques are essential for appropriate assessment of neck node metastases. In view of advances in the accuracy of contemporary imaging, the need for elective treatment of the neck requires reappraisal.     

Need for intensive histopathologic analysis to determine lymph node metastases when using sentinel node biopsy in oral cancer

OBJECTIVE: To determine the predictive value of sentinel node biopsy (SNB)-assisted neck dissection in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) stage T1 to 2N0M0 and to determine the incidence of subclinical metastases. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Fifty-one patients with clinically N0 neck underwent SNB-assisted neck dissection. The localization of the sentinel node (SN) was determined using dynamic and planar lymphoscintigraphy and single photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography. Histopathologic examination of the harvested SN was performed using step-serial sectioning with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. RESULTS: A total of 181 SNs were excised with a median of 3 (range 1-7) SNs per patient. Four percent (2 of 51) of patients with subclinical (occult) lymph node metastasis would have been identified using routine H&E staining, whereas the 18% (9 of 49) were upstaged as a result of additional histopathology when the H&E evaluation was negative. Overall, the incidence of subclinical metastases was 22% (11 of 51). CONCLUSION: In this study, SNB-assisted neck dissection proved to be technically feasible in identifying subclinical metastasis, thus accurately staging the neck with a high degree of sensitivity in patients with oral SCC T1 to 2N0M0 when additional histopathology was performed. The vast majority of patients in this study would have been spared selective neck dissection had reliance on SNB been used and selective neck dissection performed only in the case of a positive SN. Future studies should focus on determining whether SNB alone reduces patient morbidity and whether this is as equally effective in the treatment of cervical nodal metastases as compared with selective neck dissection in patients with oral SCC.     

Guidelines of the French Society of Otorhinolaryngology (SFORL), short version. Extension assessment and principles of resection in cutaneous head and neck tumors

Cutaneous head and neck tumors mainly comprise malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, trichoblastic carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, adnexal carcinoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, sclerodermiform basalioma and angiosarcoma. Adapted management requires an experienced team with good knowledge of the various parameters relating to health status, histology, location and extension: risk factors for aggression, extension assessment, resection margin requirements, indications for specific procedures, such as lateral temporal bone resection, orbital exenteration, resection of the calvarium and meningeal envelopes, neck dissection and muscle resection.