Neck dissection is an important and essential surgical procedure for successful treatment of head and neck cancers.When neck dissection is performed with resection of the primary cancer, in the open approach, en bloc resection is performed in the same surgical field as the primary tumor. Recent development of endoscopic surgical techniques and surgical instruments has enabled transoral resection of the primary cancers. Neck dissection is performed separately from the primary site in a different surgical field under this circumstance. The surgical duration required for neck dissection can vary depending upon the surgical approach adopted for resection of the primary tumors, and is yet to be clearly investigated. We conducted a national survey on the surgical duration of neck dissection for several types of head and neck cancers, including oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal cancers. The survey data were collected from cancer training centers and ENT specialist training facilities certified by the Oto Rhino Laryngological Society of Japan. The results clearly show that the surgical duration for additional neck dissection concomitantly with transoral surgery was almost similar to that required for neck dissection without resection of the primary tumor, while the duration for additional neck dissection in open surgery along with resection of the primary cancer was shorter than that of neck dissection without resection of the primary tumor. The duration of additional neck dissection with partial laryngectomy was similar to that for single neck dissection even by the open approach. It is concluded that the surgical duration required for additional neck dissection differs according to the sites of the primary tumors and the surgical approach.
