title: Lymph node density--prognostic value in head and neck cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic value of lymph node density in head and neck cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We utilized a prospective, multicenter database of 223 patients with head and neck cancer to identify patients who underwent lymph node dissection before chemoradiation to assess the prognostic significance of lymph node density.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 38 patients who met study criteria, lymph node density ≤0.20 predicted for improved overall survival (OS; 79% vs 50%; p = .04). Lymph node density was also associated with a trend toward improved 3-year locoregional control (96% vs 79%; p = .14) and distant metastasis-free survival (93% vs 78%; p = .13). In the patients with treatment failure distantly or locoregionally, that failure was earlier in patients with lymph node density >0.20 than in patients with lymph node density ≤0.20 (median, 12.7 months vs 5.2 months; p = .004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that lymph node density predicts for OS in patients with head and neck cancer and that the difference in OS may be because of differences in time to failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Sonali
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rudra
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Spiotto
authors.forename: Mary Ellyn
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Witt
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Blair
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stenson
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Haraf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy / Q000379:methods; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012107:Research Design; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States
keywords: head and neck; lymph node density; prognosis; radiation; surgery