Immunohistochemical detection of cervical lymph node micrometastases from T2N0 tongue cancer

Abstract

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%).

Histopathological factors affecting nodal metastasis in tongue cancer: analysis of 94 patients in Taiwan

“…Neck treatment is always performed when there are obvious clinical detectable lymph nodes in patients with tongue cancers. The elective neck treatment of early stage (cT1N0 and cT2N0) tongue cancers remains controversial, since there is a high propensity (36% and 58%) for occult nodal metastasis 26,27 . Exclusive treatment of the neck may result in better regional control of the tumor, but this routine policy would subject a significant proportion of patients to an unnecessary procedure and possible morbidity.…”

Preliminary study of indirect CT lymphography-guided sentinel lymph node biopsy in a tongue VX2 carcinoma model

“…Lymph node metastases are found in 47% of oral and oropharyngeal carcinomas. 22 Determining lymph node status is critical to prescribing the appropriate treatment. An enlarged lymph node is easily discerned using computed tomography (CT), but determining malignancy in lymph nodes of approximately normal size is difficult.…”

Immunohistochemistry, A Valuable Tool in Detection of Cervical Lymph Node Micrometastases in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Prospective Study

“…Rhee et al [28] observed cervical micrometastasis in half of their patients with clinically N 0 head and neck cancer and Hamakawa et al [29] found micrometastasis in 15.9 % of N 0 necks, in oral cancer patients. Yoshida et al [30] had even better upstaging to report. They observed 20-30 % occult metastasis with H&E staining in cervical lymph nodes, in patients of cN 0 tongue cancers.…”