Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: sentinel node or selective neck dissection.
Improved knowledge about the metastatic behavior of mucosal squamous cell cancer of the head and neck made it possible to reduce the extension of elective and even therapeutic neck dissections by sparing selected levels, thereby reducing morbidity. The diagnostic question of when to treat a clinically negative neck to avoid unnecessary overtreatment, even through selective neck dissections, might be answered with sentinel lymph node biopsy. A thorough and sophisticated evaluation of this technique is necessary when defining suited patients.
Kovács
Adorján F
AF
Department of Oromaxillofacial Plastic Surgery, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Medical School, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. a.kovacs@em.uni-frankfurt.de
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D037981:Neck Dissection; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D018579:Patient Selection; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy