Patterns of nodal involvement for clinically N0 salivary gland carcinoma: Refining the role of elective neck irradiation. Issue 10 (13th January 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lau, Valerie H.; Aouad, Rony; Farwell, D. Gregory; Donald, Paul J.; Chen, Allen M.
• Is Part Of: Head & neck. Volume 36:Issue 10(2014:Oct.)
• Page Start: 1435
• Page End: 1439
• Publication Date: 2014-01-13
• Subjects: Head -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Neck -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Head -- Periodicals; Neck -- Periodicals; Face -- Periodicals; 617.51059
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.23467
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1043-3074

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="hed23467-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Background</title> <p>The purpose of this study was to analyze the pattern of occult cervical lymph node metastasis among patients with clinically N0 salivary gland carcinoma.</p> </sec> <sec id="hed23467-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>One hundred nineteen patients underwent primary surgery and ipsilateral neck dissection for clinically N0 carcinomas of the major and minor salivary glands. Eighty patients (67%) had parotid tumors. Distribution of T classification was: T1 (18%), T2 (28%), T3 (23%), and T4 (32%).</p> </sec> <sec id="hed23467-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Twenty‐five patients (21%) had pathological cervical disease. The incidence was highest among patients with adenocarcinoma (35%) and high‐grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma (35%). The most common site of cervical lymph node metastasis was level II (71%), followed by level III (15%), and level IB (8%). On multivariate analysis, histological subtype was independently predictive of occult pathological lymph node metastasis (<italic>p</italic> < .001).</p> </sec> <sec id="hed23467-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>The likelihood of occult cervical lymph node metastasis for patients with salivary gland carcinoma is driven predominantly by histological subtype. Implications for elective neck irradiation are discussed. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. <italic>Head Neck</italic>, 36: 1435–1439, 2014</p> </sec> </abstract>