[Neoplastic adenopathies of the neck: role of tumors of the oral cavity and salivary glands].

The Authors report a series of 386 non-selected cases of cervical adenopathies with systemic (23.1%) and secondary (76.9%) tumors, treated using both simple biopsy and radical surgery. The predominant sites were right (29.0%) and left (23.6%) laterocervical. Histological tests revealed that in relation to metastatic adenopathies the predominant histotype in the series as a whole was squamous carcinoma (29.5%). Within the scope of metastatic adenopathies, tumors of the oral cavity or salivary glands, if taken together, account for the highest percentage of incidence: 14.2%. Three points emerge from an analysis of the data: 1) in the presence of lymph node tumors of the cervical district, taken as a whole, approximately 21.8% may be attributed to tumors of the oral cavity and salivary glands; 2) in the context of metastatic adenopathies, the predominant histotype is squamous carcinoma, 38.4%; 3) the presence of a high percentage of metastatic adenopathies of the neck due to cancer of the oral cavity and adjacent salivary glands always requires the greatest care to commence integrated chemo-radio-surgical treatment of prevent efficacy.