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The neck dissection is a surgical procedure for control of neck lymph node metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck. [1] The aim of the procedure is to remove lymph nodes from one side of the neck into which cancer cells may have migrated.
Lymphadenectomies are usually done because many types of cancer have a marked tendency to produce lymph node metastasis early in their natural histories. This is particularly true of melanoma, head and neck cancer, differentiated thyroid cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer.
Head and neck cancers are staged according to the TNM classification system, where T is the size and configuration of the tumor, N is the presence or absence of lymph node metastases, and M is the presence or absence of distant metastases. The T, N, and M characteristics are combined to produce a "stage" of the cancer, from I to IVB.
Involvement of the cervical lymph nodes with metastatic cancer is the single most important prognostic factor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and may be associated with a halving of survival. Where the cancer has penetrated the capsule of the lymph gland (extracapsular extension) survival may be decreased by a further 50%.
Lymph node metastasis is the spread of cancer cells into a lymph node.. Lymph node metastasis is different from malignant lymphoma.Lymphoma is a cancer of lymph node, rather than cancer in the lymph node, because lymphoma originates from the lymph node itself, instead of originating elsewhere (e.g., the breast or colon) and spreading to the lymph nodes.
Lymph nodes may become enlarged in malignant disease. This cervical lymphadenopathy may be reactive or metastatic. [1] Alternatively, enlarged lymph nodes may represent a primary malignancy of the lymphatic system itself, such as lymphoma (both Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's), [6] lymphocytic leukemia, [1] Lymphadenopathy that lasts less than two weeks or more than one year with no progressive ...
N1: regional lymph node metastasis present; at some sites, tumor spread to closest or small number of regional lymph nodes; N2: tumor spread to an extent between N1 and N3 (N2 is not used at all sites) N3: tumor spread to more distant or numerous regional lymph nodes (N3 is not used at all sites) M: presence of distant metastasis. M0: no ...
The concept of sentinel lymph node surgery is to determine if the cancer has spread to the very first draining lymph node (called the "sentinel lymph node") or not. If the sentinel lymph node does not contain cancer, then there is a high likelihood that the cancer has not spread to any other area of the body. [2]