Objective: The aim of this study was to document the rate of pathologic neck disease in patients presenting with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) to the parotid gland following parotidectomy and neck dissection in the clinically and radiologic negative neck.
Study design: Case series with chart review.
Setting: Tertiary referral center.
Subjects and methods: The study involved a retrospective chart review from 1999 to 2008 of patients presenting with metastatic CSCC to the parotid at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
Results: Eighty-one patients with metastatic parotid disease were identified. A total of 51 (63%) patients had no clinical or radiological evidence of cervical nodal disease. Forty-five patients (88%) were male, median age was 69 (range, 42-91) years, and the median follow-up was 16 (interquartile range, 9-44) months. Thirty-four of these patients underwent a parotidectomy and neck dissection with/without postoperative radiotherapy (RT). Occult pathological cervical nodal disease was found in 5 (14.7%) patients. Of those who received a neck dissection, 3 patients relapsed in the parotid, 1 in the neck alone, and 1 distantly.
Conclusion: This series has shown that the rate of pathologically involved neck nodes in patients with metastatic CSCC to the parotid in the clinically node negative neck is low. Given many of these patients warrant postoperative RT to the parotid bed, an elective neck dissection may not be warranted as the parotid and neck may be treated in continuity with RT.