title: Oral squamous cell carcinoma and a clinically negative neck: the value of follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (SCCOC), regular follow-up comprises 5 years of prescheduled visits, irrespective of tumor stage/classification and/or treatment. We analyzed our standard treatment and follow-up protocol in patients with a preoperative clinically negative neck (cN0) in SCCOC.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective chart analysis. Inventarization of treatment, occult metastatic spread, and follow-up were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 197 patients were included. The occult metastatic rate was 24%. Eighty-three percent of recurrent disease presented within 2 years. Fifty-three percent of the patients with recurrent disease visited their physician outside prescheduled control visits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology currently is 1 of the most reliable staging techniques in cN0 SCCOC. Regular follow-up could perhaps be limited from 5 to 2 years of prescheduled follow-up visits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. b.wensing@kno.umcn.nl
authors.forename: Bart M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Wensing
authors.forename: Matthias A W
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Merkx
authors.forename: Paul F M
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Krabbe
authors.forename: Henri A M
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Marres
authors.forename: Frank J A
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Van den Hoogen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D037981:Neck Dissection; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional