title: Sentinel node navigation surgery versus observation as a management strategy for early tongue carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The status of lymph nodes in the neck is the most important prognostic factor for the outcomes of patients with oral tongue cancer. However, surgical prophylaxis of the neck is controversial.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed 22 patients with clinically T1/T2, N0 Union Internationale Contre le Cancer oral squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. Patients were assigned to groups according to the management strategy selected for the neck. One group underwent a "watchful waiting" policy and the other underwent sentinel node navigation surgery (SNNS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three of 11 patients (27%) in the watchful waiting group developed regional recurrence and underwent neck dissection. Only 1 of 11 patients (9.1%) in the SNNS group developed regional recurrence. Although the groups did not significantly differ, the SNNS group tended to have less regional recurrence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SNNS should be the third strategy formanaging early oral tongue carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2 Shinkawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan.
authors.forename: Kohichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujioka
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kohno
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005927:Glossectomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D061305:Lymphoscintigraphy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D059146:Metastasectomy / Q000379:methods*; D037981:Neck Dissection / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D057832:Watchful Waiting / Q000379:methods*