Contralateral neck failure in oral tongue cancer: Outcomes from two centers using predefined treatment criteria. Issue 7 (17th March 2021) - Udovicich, Cristian
Abstract: Background: The objective was to determine the incidence of, and factors associated with contralateral neck failure (CNF) in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). Methods: Consecutive patients with OTSCC between 2007 and 2016 were included. The predefined policy of the contralateral neck included neck dissection (ND) where the primary tumor extended/crossed midline or the contralateral neck was involved; and elective nodal irradiation (ENI) where the primary tumor was ≤1 cm from midline/2 cm from tip. Results: This study included 258 patients. ND was ipsilateral 169 (66%) and bilateral 33 (13%). Fifty‐five patients (21%) received ENI to the undissected contralateral neck. CNF occurred in 19 patients (7%) and was similar by treatment received. Utilizing this approach, we observed higher rates of CNF with increasing N classification, perineural invasion, extracapsular extension, and depth of invasion ≥6 mm. Conclusions: Using our institutional policy of treatment to the contralateral neck, a low rate of CNF (≤10%) was observed.