Lymph node yield as a prognostic factor in clinically node negative oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma

Objectives: To determine the prognostic significance of nodal yield in patients with clinically node-negative (cN0) oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). Methods: This retrospective observational study included 40 patients with cN0 OCSCC who underwent treatment with at least 6 months of follow-up data from November 2012 to April 2020. We recorded the variables, including patient demographics, cancer site, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging, type of treatment, lymph node yield (LNY), histopathologic diagnosis, and recurrence. The recorded data were analyzed with descriptive and interferential statistics using specific tests. Results: Our study cohort comprised of 27 males and 13 females with a mean age of 60.08+13.153 years. Tongue (55%) was the commonly affected site. Seventeen (42.5%) patients belonged to TNM stage II. The mean LNY in our study was 38.65[+ or -]25.41 (range 7-98). Following surgery, 19 (47.5%) patients further received adjuvant therapies. Recurrence was reported only in 4 (10%) patients. There was no significant difference between LNY and recurrence rate (p=0.892). Factors including, age (p=0.121), gender (p=0.209), site (p=0.519), size of tumor (p=0.416) did not influence the LNY. Conclusion: There is no correlation between LNY and recurrence in cN0 OCSCC patients in our study. Meticulous neck dissection and thorough pathologic reporting prevents TNM under staging and improves the overall survival and prognosis. Keywords: lymph node yield, oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma, recurrence, selective neck dissection, cN0