Clinical and histopathologic characteristics of tongue and gingiva carcinomas with occult and clinically evident cervical lymph-node metastasis.
Factors predisposing to occult metastasis were investigated in 66 tongue and 72 gingiva squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Occult metastasis was most frequently seen in tumors with grade 3 and occasionally in those with grade 4 invasion, no relation being shown with T-stage. When lymph-node metastases were analyzed with regard to tumor cell invasion mode and T-stage, T2 tumors with grade 3 invasion were mostly seen to give rise to occult metastasis, while grade 4 invasion was highly associated with N(+) metastasis in all T-stages. These results support the view that neck dissection should be recommended for tongue and gingiva SCCs exhibiting grade 3 invasion.
Osaki
T
T
Department of Oral Surgery, Kochi Medical School, Japan.
Hirota
J
J
Yoneda
K
K
Yamamoto
T
T
Ueta
E
E
D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D005887:Gingival Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015996:Survival Rate; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*