title: Implications of a positive sentinel node in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of sentinel node biopsy in head and neck cancer is currently being explored. Patients with positive sentinel nodes were investigated to establish if additional metastases were present in the neck, their distribution, and their impact on outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  In all, 109 patients (n = 109) from 15 European centers, with cT1/2,N0 tumors, and a positive sentinel lymph node were identified. Kaplan-Meier and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to identify variables that predicted for additional positive nodes and their position within the neck.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 122 neck dissections were performed in 109 patients. Additional positive nodes were found in 34.4% of cases (42/122: 18 same, 21 adjacent, and 3 nonadjacent neck level). Additional nodes, especially if outside the sentinel node basin, had an impact on outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results are preliminary but suggest that both the number and the position of positive sentinel nodes may identify different prognostic groups that may allow further tailoring of management plans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Oncology, Guy's King's and St Thomas's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Benjamin A S
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Gurney
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: Venkata
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Putcha
authors.forename: Lee W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Alkureishi
authors.forename: Amezaga J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Vivi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bakholdt
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barbier Herrero
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barzan
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bilde
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bloemena
authors.forename: Carmen Camarero
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Salces
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dalla Palma
authors.forename: Remco
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Bree
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dequanter
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dolivet
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Donner
authors.forename: Geke B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Flach
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fresno
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grandi
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haerle
authors.forename: Gerhard F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leroux
authors.forename: Phillippe H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Lothaire
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mamelle
authors.forename: Enrico M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Silini
authors.forename: Romina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mastronicola
authors.forename: Edward W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Odell
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: O'Doherty
authors.forename: Tito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Poli
authors.forename: Siavash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rahimi
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: J Santamaria
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Zuazua
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santini
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sebbesen
authors.forename: Taimur
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shoaib
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sloan
authors.forename: Jens Ahm
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sorensen
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Soutar
authors.forename: Marianne H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Therkildsen
authors.forename: Maurizio Giovanni
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Vigili
authors.forename: Pedro M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Villarreal
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: von Buchwald
authors.forename: Jochen A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wiegand
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McGurk
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D037981:Neck Dissection; D011379:Prognosis; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; D016019:Survival Analysis