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Frequency of bilateral cervical metastases in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective analysis of 203 cases after bilateral neck dissection

  • Head and Neck
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Abstract

The decision whether to perform an elective neck dissection in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and clinically negative lymph nodes (cN0) is made based on the probability of micrometastases in the neck for the given subsite and size of the primary. A retrospective chart review was performed of 203 patients with hypopharyngeal SCC who received a bilateral neck dissection. The frequency of histologically unveiled bilateral neck metastases was determined. A high frequency of contralateral metastases above 20% was detected for all carcinomas affecting the midline and those involving the medial wall of the pyriform sinus except of T1-stages (13%) and a low frequency for laterally located primaries (3%). Ipsilateral nodal status predicted contralateral neck metastases. Bilateral neck dissection should be recommended for primaries affecting the midline and T2–4 tumors involving the medial wall of the pyriform sinus.

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Acknowledgements

We did not receive grant support or relevant help of other individuals in the preparation of the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich Medical Center, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, Munich, Germany

    Bernhard Olzowy, Matthias Hillebrand & Ulrich Harréus

  2. HNO-Zentrum Landsberg, Ahornallee 2a, 86899, Landsberg, Germany

    Bernhard Olzowy

  3. Evangelisches Krankenhaus Duesseldorf, Kirchfeldstr. 40, 40217, Duesseldorf, Germany

    Ulrich Harréus

Authors
  1. Bernhard Olzowy
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  2. Matthias Hillebrand
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  3. Ulrich Harréus
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Correspondence to Bernhard Olzowy.

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No financial or other relationships exist which may lead to a conflict of interest.

Human and animal rights statement

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was not necessary since the study consisted of a retrospective chart review only.

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Olzowy, B., Hillebrand, M. & Harréus, U. Frequency of bilateral cervical metastases in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective analysis of 203 cases after bilateral neck dissection. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 274, 3965–3970 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-017-4724-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-017-4724-3

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