title: Neck dissection in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the prognosis of patients with tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma with different stages of lymph node involvement and to determine the best elective neck dissection for those cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  51 patients with tonsillar tumors were treated between 1992 and 2001. The incidence of different tumor-node-metastasis stages was evaluated according to primary tumor extension.
  
  
  RESULTS
  cN0 patients had metastases in stages I and II only. Among pN+ subjects with stage I metastases, 6/7 had primary tumor extending to oral cavity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Supraomohyoid neck dissection (stages I, II and III) is the elective treatment of choice when tonsillar primary tumor extends to oral cavity. When primary tumors are limited to the oropharynx, selective neck dissection of stages II and III proved to be more adequate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Heliópolis, Hosphel, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amar
authors.forename: Otávio Alberto
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Curioni
authors.forename: Sergio Altino
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Franzi
authors.forename: Daniel Knabben
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Ortelado
authors.forename: Abrão
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rapoport
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D037981:Neck Dissection / Q000379:methods*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D014067:Tonsillar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome