Influential factors of lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of tongue

Aim: To investigate the clinical and pathological factors that influence the metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma of tongue.Methods:Retrospective analysis of 90 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of tongue was carried out to ascertain the correlation between lymph node metastasis and location of tumor, T stage, differentiation, infiltrative type, peritumoral lymphocyte infiltration, respectively.Results: The lymph node metastasis for tumor at marginal part and ventral part of tongue was referred to level Ⅰ~Ⅳ cervical lymph nodes; tumor at anterior part and root part of tongue was referred to level Ⅰ~Ⅲ cervical lymph nodes. In all the patients with squamous cell carcinoma of tongue, the constitution of lymph node metastasis was 40.48% at level Ⅱ, 35.71% at level Ⅰ, 19.05% at level Ⅲ, 4.76%at level Ⅳ and 0% at level V. In T stage, the constitution of lymph node metastasis were T_1 8.33%, T_2 19.44%, T_3 38.00%, T_4 47.62%(χ2= 8.848, P=0.037). In differentiation, the constitution of lymph node metastasis in well to moderate differentiation group and poor differentiation group were 14.87% and 93.75%, respectively (χ2=39.850, P0.001). In infiltrative type, there was no metastasis in type Ⅰ and type Ⅱ, the constitution of lymph node metastasis was 25.00% in type Ⅲ, and 58.62% in type Ⅳ_C ~ Ⅳ_D, respectively. There was no correlation between metastasis and peritumoral lymphocyte infiltration (P=0.787). Conclusion: The distribution of positive lymph node metastasis for squamous cell carcinoma of tongue is from level Ⅰ to level Ⅳ, and mainly involve the lymph nodes at level Ⅰ~ level Ⅲ. The factors that influence the metastasis of tongue carcinoma are T stage, differentiation degree, and infiltrative type.