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Level V involvement in patients with early T‐stage, node‐positive oropharyngeal carcinoma
Author(s) -
Pattani Kavita M.,
Califano Joseph,
Sanguineti Giuseppe
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1002/lary.20616
Subject(s) - medicine , lymph node , subclinical infection , pathological , stage (stratigraphy) , dissection (medical) , chemoradiotherapy , neck dissection , nodal , carcinoma , surgery , radiation therapy , paleontology , biology
Objectives/Hypothesis: To assess the risk of level V nodal involvement for early T‐stage and node positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (ORO‐SCC). Methods: Retrospective analysis performed on patients with ORO‐SCC and clinically positive lymph nodes who had undergone upfront elective dissection of level V before definitive chemoradiotherapy. Pathological data collected and prevalence of involvement of level V determined. Results: A total of 119 patients had level V dissection. The prevalence of pathologically positive lymph nodes in level V was 3.4% (4/119). Moreover, it was observed only in the presence of pathological involvement of multiple other nodal levels (4/52 patients, 7.7% vs. 0/67 in patients with a single nodal station involved, χ 2 P = .02). Conclusions: Subclinical involvement of level V in ORO‐SCC is rare, especially in the presence of disease confined to a single nodal level. The present data do not support its dissection after primary chemoradiotherapy. Laryngoscope, 2009