Effectiveness of lymphoscintigraphic sentinel node detection for cervical staging of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and staging ability of the sentinel node (SN) technique for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx and clinically negative necks. This prospective study compares the histopathologic status of the SN with that of the remaining neck dissection tissues.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty previously untreated patients with T1 to T4 squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx and clinically negative necks (N0) were included in the study. Injection of 99m Tic-radiolabeled sulfur colloid around the primary tumor and lymphoscintigraphy were performed the day before surgery. Intraoperatively, the SN(s) was localized with a gamma probe and removed during neck dissection. The tumor was resected at the same time.

RESULTS: For 1 patient, lymphoscintigraphy revealed no SN. SN were identified in 29 patients/37 necks. In 29 necks, there were no positive SN. In 5 patients, the SN was the only histopathologically positive node. In 1 patient, SN and other nodes in the remaining neck tissue were positive. There was 1 false negative case; the first case of the study, indicating the need for a learning curve for the technique.

CONCLUSION: This prospective study shows that the SN is useful for the staging of N0 necks. The SN technique has the potential to decrease the need for neck dissections, which are usually performed in clinically negative necks, thus reducing both associated morbidity for patients and cost.