Current status and tasks of sentinel node biopsy in oral cancer （Review Article）

Abstract

Cervical lymph node metastasis is an important prognostic factor in oral cancer. Whether patients with cN0 status should be treated with elective neck dissection or with therapeutic neck dissection after nodal relapse has been a matter of debate. Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) is a widely accepted procedure in various human malignancies. SNB has received considerable attention for its role in deciding whether to perform neck dissection. However, there are four issues in the current status of SNB in oral cancer: adopting the RI method, shine-through phenomenon, method of diagnosing occult metastasis, and establishment of EBM. This paper outlines the current status of SNB in oral cancer.