AXILLARY METASTASES FROM CARCINOMA OF THE LARYNX - A 25-YEAR SURVIVAL

Axillary metastases from squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck are usually considered signs of incurability. A case is presented in which the patient developed well-differentiated squamous cell carcinom a in bilateral axillary nodes following total laryngectomy and radical neck dissection for advanced recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. Bilateral axillary dissection was performed on this patient f ollowed by a second neck dissection for metastasis. The patient remain ed well for 25 years free or disease, dying of a massive heart attack. One report of this phenomenon has been found in the literature. The a uthors conclude that radical axillary dissection should be considered in selective cases of well-differentiated carcinoma in axillary nodes from a controlled primary in the head and neck mucosa when no other si gns of dissemination have been found. A brief review of cervical and a xillary lymphatic anatomy is included. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc .