Clinical pathological correlation between lymph node in patients with head and neck cancer

Abstract

Objective: To correlate the clinical lymph node classification with the pathological result of neck dissections performed in patients with head and neck cancer at the Otorhinolaryngology Department of the Hospital Universitario de Caracas from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2016. Method: Descriptive, quantitative and retrospective study, which evaluated 27 patients, who underwent classical radical, modified radical and selective neck dissection. Results: average age 56 years, 77.8% male. The most frequent histological type was squamous carcinoma 81.5%. The most used type of dissection was selective 53.3%, followed by the classical radical 26.7% and the modified radical 20.0%, of these 36% presented local or cervical recurrence. Of the 16 patients with positive lymph nodes, 13 had patology confirmation, and all the negative nodes also had negative patology confirmation; regarding cervical recurrence, of the 7 cases where it was present, all positive nodes, and in the 11 patients negative nodes, all negative cervical recurrence. Conclusion: The relationship between the pathological and clinical classification, as well as the presence of positive lymph nodes in cervical recurrences are statistically significant and are related to the decrease in survival. Neck palpation continues to be a useful tool in therapeutic decision making, which has shown higher than average sensitivity and specificity.