title: When to address level I lymph nodes in neck dissections?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the involvement of level I neck lymph node groups in head and neck carcinoma and compare the effect of primary tumor sites, such as oral cavity (OC), oropharynx (OP), hypopharynx (HP), and larynx (Lx), on level I lymph node metastasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case series with chart review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comprehensive Cancer Center.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 243 patients with OC and laryngopharyngeal carcinoma who underwent neck dissections in the last three years were included in the study. The primary tumor site was OC, followed by OP, Lx, HP, and carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Level I was involved in 29 of 243 (11.9%) patients. The other levels were also positive in all but five (17.2%) level I-involved patients. The primary tumor site with level I lymph node metastasis was OC (19.1%), followed by CUP (11.1%), OP (9.8%), Lx (4.4%), and HP (0%). The Lx primary site involved level I only if there were multiple other adverse prognostic features, such as N3 neck, extracapsular spread, pathologic involvement of all resected lymph nodes, involvement of all levels I-V, and invasion of the submandibular gland.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the submandibular content is resected as part of radical and modified radical neck dissections, level I-sparing selective neck dissections could be a safe and effective surgical neck management strategy in appropriately selected patients with OP, Lx, and HP carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. enver.ozer@osumc.edu
authors.forename: Enver
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Karapinar
authors.forename: Cherie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ryoo
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Schuller
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness