This study concerns about 103 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity who underwent therapeutic radical neck dissection between 1961 and 1980.
Metastasis to the lymphnodes were histologically confirmed in 81 out of 103 cases (78.6%).
The superior internal jugular nodes were most frequently metastasized and secondly were the submandibular nodes.
The survival rate was significantly higher in the patients without metastasis compared to patients with metastasis. Three-year-survival rate was 90% in patients without metastasis and 43% with metastasis. Five-year-survival rates were 86% and 37%, respectively.
Prognosis of patients with multiple metastatic nodes were worse than that of single metastatic node patients. However, the prognosis was not bad in the patients who had single metastatic location with multiple metastatic lymphnodes.
The most important factor for prognosis seems to be the number of metastasis sites.
Cervical metastasis after primary region treatment could be controlled by earlier detection with careful follow-up. Preventitive neck dissection seemed to be unnecessary.
