Lymph node yield and lymph node density for elective level II-IV neck dissections in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the minimum lymph node yield (LNY) in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCCs).

Methods: This retrospective study was performed in a tertiary care hospital setting and included 42 LSCC patients aged 39-81 years (females, n = 2; males, n = 40) who underwent a total or partial laryngectomy and elective bilateral level II-IV neck dissections (unilateral neck dissections: n = 84).

Results: The average LNY in the unilateral level II-IV lymph node dissections was 25.9 ± 10, and the average metastatic LNY was 0.9 ± 1.9. The unilateral neck dissections were grouped according to the number of lymph nodes. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of the metastatic LNY (p = 0.5). The metastatic lymph node density (LND) (metastatic lymph node yield/LNY) was 0.043 for unilateral neck level II-IV neck dissections. A Cox regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between survival and the LNY and LND in bilateral neck dissections (p = 0.4 and p = 0.8, respectively).

Conclusions: The results revealed no minimum number of lymph nodes that could reliably detect metastatic lymph nodes in LSCC patients.

Keywords: Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma; Lymph node yield; Metastatic lymph node yield; Neck dissection.