title: [Surgical management for occult cervical metastasis of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the management for clinically negative (cN0) neck remains controversial. This study was to explore rational neck management for cN0 cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical data of 187 patients with oral tongue SCC of cN0, who received surgery alone, were retrospectively reviewed. Rules of occult nodal metastasis, factors that impact cervical node metastasis, and prognostic factors were analyzed. Neck recurrences of different treatment groups were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Incidence of occult nodal metastasis in all patients was 23.0% (43/187). The most common site of occult nodal metastases was ipsilateral level II. About 83.0% of occult nodal metastases were found in ipsilateral levels I, II, and III. Pathologic grade was an independent influencing factor for occult neck metastases. Occult neck metastasis was an independent prognostic factor for oral tongue SCC. Supraomohyoid neck dissection (SOHND) was an effective therapeutic method for oral tongue SCC of cN0; the neck recurrence rate after SOHND was only 6.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SOHND is the effective and safe treatment for oral tongue SCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060,P.R.China. tjkzl@gzsums.edu.cn
authors.forename: Zhu-Ming
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Shun-Lan
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zong-Yuan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Fu-Jin
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Mao-Wen
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: An-Kui
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Guo-Hao
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Han-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005927:Glossectomy; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D037981:Neck Dissection / Q000379:methods*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*