[Clinical research of sentinel node biopsy in oral tongue carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to evaluate whether sentinel node (SN) biopsy can accurately assess the cervical lymph node status of oral tongue carcinoma, as well to research the best method and indications of SN biopsy.


METHODS
Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy with (99m)Tc-SC and intraoperative sentinel node mapping with methylene blue dye were administered on 20 cases of oral tongue carcinoma with cN(0) neck and 5 cases with cN(+) neck; routine pathological examination was used to assess the status of SNs. The results of routine pathological examination of cervical specimen were set as golden standard to assess the efficacy of SN biopsy in evaluating the cervical lymph node status.


RESULTS
53 SNs were detected in 24 cases out of the total 25 cases (96%), averaging 2.2 SNs per case. SNs were detected in all 20 cases with cN(0) neck, in which 4 cases with occult cervical metastasis were detected by SN diopsy, without false negative case found in the procedure. In 5 cases with cN(+) neck, SNs were detected in 4 cases. In 4 cases whose SNs were detected, there were 5 cN(+) necks, out of which SNs were detected in 4 cN(+) necks but failed to predicted the cervical lymph node status in 2 necks. However, SNs were detected in 2 out of the other 3 cN(0) necks, both of which were diagnosed as SN(+)pN(+).


CONCLUSIONS
Nuclear lymphoscintigraphy and blue dye mapping can be used to trace the SNs in cases with oral tongue carcinoma, with satisfactory detective rate. SN biopsy can accurately evaluate the cervical lymph node status in cases of oral tongue carcinoma with cN(0) neck. Whether it can be used to evaluate the lymph node status of the cN(0) neck in case with a contralateral cN(+) neck is worthy of further research.
Peng
Han-wei
HW
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China. penghw@gzsums.edu.cn
Zeng
Zong-yuan
ZY
Chen
Fu-jin
FJ
Guo
Zhu-ming
ZM
Zhang
Quan
Q
Wei
Mao-wen
MW
D006801:Humans; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*