TABLE 1.
Patient demographic and clinical characteristics.
| Variables | Elective neck dissection (%) | Therapeutic neck dissection (%) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of patients | 226 (84) | 44 (16) | |
| Age, y, mean ± SD | 56 ± 14 | 58 ± 14 | .31 |
| Sex | .73 | ||
| Male | 105 (46) | 25 (56) | |
| Female | 121 (54) | 19 (43) | |
| Primary site | .01 | ||
| Oral cavity | 116 (51) | 32 (73) | |
| Parotid | 44 (20) | 0 (0) | |
| Submandibular | 31 (14) | 8 (18) | |
| Sublingual | 10 (4) | 2 (5) | |
| Paranasal sinuses | 24 (10) | 1 (2) | |
| Larynx | 1 (1) | 1 (2) | |
| pT classification | < .001 | ||
| 1 | 62 (28) | 3 (5) | |
| 2 | 89 (39) | 12 (27) | |
| 3 | 41 (18) | 8 (17) | |
| 4 | 34 (15) | 21 (51) | |
| pN classification | < .001 | ||
| N0 | 179 (79) | 0 (0) | |
| N1 | 35 (15) | 16 (36) | |
| N2a | 7 (3) | 14 (32) | |
| N2b | 4 (2) | 11 (25) | |
| N2c | 1 (<1) | 1 (2) | |
| N3 | 0 (0) | 2 (5) | |
| Treatment | |||
| Surgery | 80 (36) | 7 (16) | |
| Surgery + RT | 100 (44) | 25 (57) | |
| Surgery + CRT | 46 (20) | 12 (27) | |
| Extent of neck dissection | < .001 | ||
| I–III | 158 (70) | 10 (23) | |
| I–V/II–V | 65 (29) | 23 (52) | |
| RND/MRND | 3 (1) | 11 (25) | |
| Contralateral I–III | 18 (8) | 10 (23) | |
| Margin status | .45 | ||
| Positive | 37 (16) | 4 (9) | |
| Close (<5 mm) | 61 (28) | 13 (30) | |
| Negative | 127 (56) | 26 (60) | |
| Follow-up of all patients, mo | .78 | ||
| Mean | 63 ± 42 | 60 ± 47 | |
| Median | 52 | 39 | |
| Range | 7–258 | 8–252 |
Abbreviations: RT, radiotherapy; CRT, chemoradiotherapy; RND, radical neck dissection; MRND, modified radical neck dissection.