Regional Analysis of Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis of Patients with cN_0 Tongue Carcinoma

Objective To analyze the regional distribution of cervical lymph node metastasis of patients with cN0 tongue carcinoma to made the reference for the selection of neck dissection.Methods Lymph nodes in every level were collected from specimens of radical neck dissection of 61 patients with cN0 tongue carcinoma.The metastasis was checked pathologically and the regional distributions were analyzed.Results Lymph node metastases were found in 20 patients and the metastasis rate was 32.8%.sixty-two lymph nodes were found with metastasis in 811 lymph nodes(7.6%).The metastasis rate was 11.0%(26/237)in levelⅠ,8.2%(20/243)in level Ⅱ,6.0%(13/218)in level Ⅲ,3.5%(3/85)in level Ⅳ,and no lymph node metastasis in level Ⅴ.Conclusion There was a higher metastasis rate in patients with cN0 tongue carcinoma.The metastasis lymph nodes were mainly distributed in level Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ and few in level Ⅳ.It is better to extend to level Ⅳ in supraomohyoid neck dissection.