Evaluation of micrometastasis and isolated tumor cells in node-negative early-stage oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma: a cross-sectional study in tertiary-level hospitals in eastern India

The present study aimed to investigate the incidence of micrometastasis (MMs) and isolated tumor cells (ITCs) in node-negative early-stage oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (T1-T2 N0). The secondary objective was to correlate the incidence with the clinicopathologic parameters of age, sex, depth of invasion, pattern of invasion, host lymphocytic response, and size and grade of primary tumor.