Abstract
Histological findings of lymph node metastasis in 26 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity were observed in relation to the mode of invasion of primary lesion, and the following results were obtained: the total number of metastatic lymph nodes histologically confirmed by neck dissection materials was 59 with the level of involvement by the UICC being mostly in levels 1 and 2. These metastatic nodeswere classified by tumor growth stage into 39 of intranodal proliferation and 20 of extranodal spread with 4 of primary extranodal arrest. Mode of invasion of metastatic nodes was 16 of grades 1-3, 23 of grade 4 C and 20 of grade 4 D and was correlated with that of the primary lesion, i. e., nodes similar to the mode of invasion of the primary lesion were observed in 7/11 of grade 3, 13/20 of grade 4 C and 17/26 of grade 4 D. Nodes of extranodal arrest were found mostly in grades 4 C and 4 D of the mode of invasion of the metastatic lesion. Prognosis of patients with extranodal metastasis tended to be poor.
