Abstract
Background: Tumor metastasis, as one of the most important prognostic factors in solid tumors, affects survival remarkably. Cervical lymphadenopathy (LAP) reflects an advanced-stage disease and changes the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging of tumor, resulting in a multidisciplinary approach to the management of cancer. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the importance of neck sonography in monitoring primary tumors. Methods: Records of 166 patients with distant primary cancers who underwent neck sonography from February 2019 to February 2020 were studied. Abnormal lymph nodes were reported, and then the patients underwent neck sonography and fine needle aspiration (FNA) or core needle biopsy (CNB) under direct US guidance. Thirty-two patients who were confirmed for malignant cervical LAP underwent neck lymph node biopsy as an easy and safe way to provide tissue diagnosis instead of providing biopsy from the primary source of tumor. Results: Malignant cervical LAP was confirmed in 32 patients (19.2%) by neck sonography. Seventy-seven patients (46.4%) were male and 89 patients (53.6%) were female. The patients were 22 to 88 years old (mean age = 57.7 years; standard deviation = 12.7). Thirty-two patients (19.2%) had pathological cervical lymph nodes and 134 patients (80.8%) did not have. Conclusions: Metastatic cervical LAP found by neck ultrasound will change pretreatment TNM staging of disease to provide optimal treatment on a case-by-case basis. According to the result of this study, routine neck sonography in patients with distant primary tumors is recommended.