SUPRAOMOHYOID NECK DISSECTION AS A STAGING PROCEDURE FOR SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMAS OF THE ORAL CAVITY AND OROPHARYNX

Background. A multi-institutional retrospective study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the supraomohyoid neck dissection (SOHND) fo r detection of occult cervical metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma o f the oral cavity and oropharynx. Methods. Seventy-five previously unt reated patients with clinically negative necks were studied. Seventeen (23%) neck specimens revealed occult metastatic disease, and 58 (77%) were histologically negative. Postoperative irradiation was received by 94% of the patients with positive specimens and 22% with negative s pecimens. Patients were followed until recurrence of neck disease, or for a period of 2 years or longer. Results. Cervical metastasis subseq uently developed in 25% of treated positive specimen patients, none of the untreated positive specimen patients, 8% of the treated negative specimen patients, and 11% of the untreated negative specimen patients . The sensitivity of SOHND for cervical metastasis was 82%, negative p redictive value 91%, and accuracy 94%. Conclusions. The authors conclu de that SOHND is a useful procedure for detection of occult cervical m etastatic disease in cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx. (C) 199 5 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.