In this multicenter study, the relationship between clinico-pathological factors and cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue was investigated by multivariate analysis. Two hundred eighty patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue were enrolled at five hospitals. The quantification theory, Type II of Hayashi, was employed for analysis.
Analyses of all cases showed that the combined effects of factors such as histopathological mode of invasion, T category, site of the primary tumor, and clinical type were significantly related to the presence or absence of cervical lymph node metastasis. Moreover, each factor independently contributed to the presence of metastasis. The contribution of the category of each risk factor to metastasis (from strongest to weakest) was as follows: mode of invasion=4D, 4C, 3, and 2 or 1; T category=T4, T3, T2, and T1; clinical findings=elevated type, ulcerative type, granular type, and papillary or leukoplakic type; primary site=posterior type, mid type, and anterior type.
Analyses of late cervical lymph node metastasis in Stage I and II cases showed that the combination of factors such as histopathological mode of invasion, clinical findings, and the presence or absence of involvement of the floor of the mouth, was significant in identifying metastasis.
These results suggest that multivariate analysis might be useful in predicting cervical lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.
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