[Surgical treatment of cervical lymph nodes in 301 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cervical lymph metastases and its surgical treatment of oral carcinoma with regard to primary location and TNM classification. METHODS: 301 previously untreated patients were included in the follow-up study to calculate the rate of histopathologically positive lymph metastasis and the rate of recurrences in untreated necks and after FND (functional neck dissection). RESULTS: Lymph node pathologic positive rates were N0 7.4%, N1 14.7%, N2 76.2%. Recurrences occurred in 32.1% untreated necks and 14.7% necks after FND of carcinomas of tongue, buccal, lower-gingiva and oral floor, while rarely in necks of carcinomas of palate and upper-gingiva. CONCLUSIONS: TNM classification is useful to estimate lymph metastasis. Application of elective neck dissection needs to expand in carcinomas of the above four sites. It should be careful when choose FND.