title: Efficacy of supraomohyoid neck dissection in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and negative neck.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Supraomohyoid neck dissection (SOHND) has been identified as an appropriate staging procedure to provide valuable pathologic information of the neck for patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. However, the role of SOHND as a therapeutic procedure, compared with the oncologic results of radical neck dissection, remains controversial for lack of adequate data in current literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with oral SCC who underwent elective SOHND and radical neck dissection (RND) between January 1, 1993, and December 31, 1999, were retrospectively reviewed. The 2 types of treatment were analyzed for incidence of neck recurrence and survival probabilities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences were found between patients treated with SOHND versus RND. Occult metastasis rate, regional disease-free survival, overall and disease-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival rates were found to be comparable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SOHND compares favorably with RND for the staging and treatment of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and negative neck.
authors.affiliation: The First Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, Wuhan University, 237 Luoyu Rd., Wuhan, 430079, China. yushibin@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Shibin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jinrong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zubing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wenfeng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jihong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D037981:Neck Dissection / Q000379:methods*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018307:Neoplasms, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome