Feasibility of supraomohyoid neck dissection in N1 and N2a oral cancer patients

Background. The use of selective neck dissection in a positive neck is still controversial. The object of this study was to ascertain the possibility of doing this procedure in oral cavity carcinoma with a single clinically metastatic lymph node smaller than 6 cm (N1 and N2a). Patients and Methods. From 1970 to 1994, we analyzed 164 oral cavity cancer patients with clinically N1 or N2a stage cancer submitted to radical neck dissection. Results. The histologic findings did not confirm a metastatic lymph node in 69 (42.1 %) cases (pN0) and showed multiple lymph nodes in 19 (11.6%) cases. Moreover, just one patient (0.6%) had a metastatic lymph node at level IV (one case with multiple lymph nodes) and none at level V Conclusions. Because we did not find a single metastatic lymph node at levels IV and V and there was a high incidence of pN0 (57.4%) in patients with clinical N1 stage at level I, these patients could be candidates for a supraomohyoid neck dissection (extended or not to level IV) instead of radical neck dissection. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.