Multivariate Predictors of Occult Neck Metastasis in Early Oral Tongue Cancer

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The elective dissection of cervical lymph nodes from patients with early oral tongue cancer and a clinically negative neck (T1/T2N0), remains an unsettled issue that continues to be investigated. This study examines clinical and histopathologic factors through univariate and multi-variate analysis to correlate the risk of neck micrometastasis in patients with T1/T2N0 squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The clinical files and histologic sections of tumor from 45 clinically determined N0 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The factors examined include degree of tumor cell differentiation, T1/T2 staging, presence of perineural invasion, presence of angiolymphatic invasion, type of invasion front, depth of muscle invasion, and tumor thickness. RESULTS: Independent correlates of positive occult neck metastasis included greater tumor thickness ( P = 0.01), greater depth of muscle invasion ( P = 0.01), T2 stage ( P = 0.01), poorly differentiated tumors ( P = 0.007), infiltrating-type invasion front ( P = 0.03), presence of perineural invasion ( P = 0.001), and presence of angiolymphatic invasion ( P = 0.005). The final multivariate model for estimation of an increased probability of occult neck disease included greater tumor thickness, presence of perineural invasion, infiltrating-type invasion front, poorly differentiated tumors, and T2 stage. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical and histopathologic factors studied herein permit greater selectivity and more informed decision-making than does presurgical evaluation, when addressing elective neck treatment for early N0 oral tongue cancer. The multivariate model derived from this study appears to be a more reliable method for determining the patients most likely to benefit from elective neck dissection.