ArticleClinical oral investigations2024
Occult metastasis is no burden factor in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients when adhering to a standardized approach in neck dissection.
Article in Clinical oral investigations, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Patterns and characteristics of metachronous distant metastases in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma - A cohort analysis.Clinical oral investigations · 2026Article
- [Neck dissection-more, less, targeted?]HNO · 2026Review
- A multicenter study on occult lymph node metastases in sinonasal malignancies.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Lymph Node Metastasis in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Evolving Prognostic Markers, Molecular Insights, and Implications for Precision Staging.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Demographic and Clinicopathologic Characteristics of 3723 Patients with Primary Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Consecutive, Single-Center Study Over 11 Years (2012-2023).Annals of surgical oncology · 2025Article
- Sentinel lymph node biopsy provides better regional control than observation in early stage maxillary squamous cell carcinoma.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Article
- Prevalence and implications of bilateral and solely contralateral lymph node metastases in oral squamous cell carcinoma.Clinical oral investigations · 2024Article
- Improved recurrence rates and progression-free survival in primarily surgically treated oral squamous cell carcinoma - results from a German tertiary medical center.Clinical oral investigations · 2024Article
- Predictors of Occult Metastasis and Prognostic Factors in Patients with cN0 Oral Cancer Who Underwent Elective Neck Dissection.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
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6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesManagement of the neck in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is pivotal to oncologic control and survival. However, there is controversy regarding necessity of neck dissection (ND) in patients with clinically node-negative neck. We aimed to assess risk factors for occult metastasis and to explore whether the presence of occult lymph node metastases (LNMs) has an impact on recurrence and survival. MATERIAL AND
methodsA retrospective cohort study was performed including patients with primary OSCC who underwent radical tumor resection and ND in a high-volume center adhering to the prevailing German guideline. The ND was performed according to a standardized approach.
resultsFour hundred twenty-one patients with primary surgically treated OSCC were included. The incidence of occult metastasis was 14.49%. A pathological T stage > 1 (multivariate analysis, odds ratio (OR) 3.958, p = 0.042) and the presence of extranodal extension in LNMs (multivariate analysis, OR 0.287, p = 0.020) were identified as independent risk factors for occult metastasis. When comparing patients with and without occult metastasis, there were no significant differences in terms of progression-free survival (log-rank, p = 0.297) and overall survival (log-rank, p = 0.320). There were no cases of ipsilateral neck recurrence. One patient developed contralateral neck metastasis; however, he initially presented with a unilateral pT1 pN0 tumor.
conclusionsOverall, our findings suggest that conducting a standardized approach in ND should be applied in terms of management of the neck in order to maintain survival rates and to prevent neck recurrence in OSCC patients. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: None of the risk factors for occult metastasis can be reliably assessed preoperatively. Although elective ND does not guarantee the complete prevention of neck recurrence, it increases the likelihood of either timely removal of micrometastases or strengthens the justification for adjuvant therapy. Consequently, this approach leads to improvements in clinical outcomes.
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