Table 2.
Characteristics of the Retropharyngeal Lymph Node Metastases
| Characteristic | No. of patients (%) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole cohort (n = 65) | Observation (n = 25) | Nonsurgical (n = 13) | Surgery (n = 27) | |
| Time of RPM diagnosis | ||||
| Initial presentation | 12 (18.5) | 3 (12.0) | 1 (7.7) | 8 (29.6) |
| Recurrent disease | 53 (81.5) | 22 (88.0) | 12 (92.3) | 19 (70.4) |
| RPM location | ||||
| Ipsilateral | 52 (80.0) | 18 (72.0) | 10 (76.9) | 24 (88.9) |
| Contralateral | 7 (10.8) | 4 (16.0) | 2 (15.4) | 1 (3.7) |
| Bilateral | 2 (3.1) | 1 (4.0) | 1 (7.7) | 0 |
| Unknown | 4 (6.2) | 2 (8.0) | 0 | 2 (7.4) |
| Median maximum RPM diameter | 1.3 (0.4–4.2) cm | 1.1 (0.4–4.1) cm | 1.2 (0.7–2.4) cm | 2.0 (0.8–4.2) cm |
| Concurrent disease at RPM diagnosisa | ||||
| None | 20 (30.8) | 8 (32.0) | 2 (15.4) | 10 (37.0) |
| Locoregional | 40 (61.5) | 15 (60.0) | 10 (76.9) | 15 (55.6) |
| Distant | 15 (23.1) | 4 (16.0) | 6 (46.2) | 5 (18.5) |
| Previous or concomitant MRND | ||||
| Yes | 60 (92.3) | 21 (84.0) | 12 (92.3) | 27 (100) |
| No | 5 (7.7) | 4 (16.0) | 1 (7.7) | 0 |
| Imaging for RPM detection | ||||
| CT | 44 (67.7) | 19 (76.0) | 9 (69.2) | 16 (59.3) |
| MRI | 15 (23.1) | 4 (16.0) | 1 (7.7) | 10 (37.0) |
| PET | 3 (4.6) | 2 (8.0) | 0 | 1 (3.7) |
| 131I RAI | 3 (4.6) | 0 | 3 (23.1) | 0 |
| Median follow-up from RPM diagnosis | 35 (2–228) months | 28 (2–182) months | 32 (4–102) months | 56 (5–228) months |
a
Some patients had both locoregional and distant concurrent disease.
CT, computed tomography; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; MRND, modified radical neck dissection; PET, positron emission tomography; RAI, radioactive iodine; RPM, retropharyngeal lymph node metastasis.