Background: Recently, the role of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for preserving organs in the treatment of head and neck cancer has been increasing. However, the indication for post-CRT neck dissection (ND) and its surgical extent is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to discuss the indications for post-CRT ND and the proper extent of the surgical procedure.
Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis on N2-3 oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OHSCC) patients treated with CRT in our institute from 1995 to 2008, and determined the prognostic impact of post-CRT ND and the distribution of cervical lymph node (CLN) metastasis based on the pathological results of ND.
Results: The patients without pathological CLN metastases had good prognoses, whereas patients with pathological CLN metastases exhibited a significantly high recurrence rate (P = 0.033). Based on the pathological results of ND, performing selective ND at levels II-IV can contain 88 and 85 % of CLN metastasis of the oropharynx and hypopharynx, respectively. In all cases, when pathological CLN metastases were found at level V in ND following CRT, distant metastases developed.
Conclusions: The presence of pathological CLN metastasis affects prognosis, but also a diffuse distribution of CLN metastasis worsens prognosis; that is, the presence of CLN metastasis at level V after CRT appears to be an indicator of distant metastasis. Post-CRT ND may not make sense as a salvage intervention for improving the prognosis in such situations. We concluded that the proper extent of post-CRT ND of OHSCC is selective ND including levels II-IV.