Validity of prophylactic neck dissection for pyriform sinus squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Neck lymph node metastases frequently develop in early-stage hypopharyngeal carcinoma, necessitating prophylactic neck dissection. This retrospective cohort study preoperatively evaluated 58 patients of pyriform sinus carcinoma with no contralateral neck lymph node metastasis, who underwent total pharyngolaryngectomy with bilateral neck dissection for determining the presence of occult neck lymph node metastasis in the contralateral side. This study compared patients with primary lesions that did and did not cross the midline as well as patients with primary lesions that were and were not limited to the pyriform sinus. This suggests that prophylactic contralateral neck dissection may not be required for patients with primary lesions that do not cross the midline or primary lesions limited to the pyriform sinus.