Unexpected lymph node pathology in neck dissection for head and neck cancer.

The pathological findings in 62 patients with head and neck cancers who underwent neck dissection during a 12-month period are presented. Histological confirmation of metastatic disease was obtained in 46 cases (74%). In the remaining 16 cases (26%), there was no evidence of metastasis from the primary tumor. In 7 cases (11%), there was unexpected pathology in the cervical lymph nodes which was not related to the primary tumor. Accurate clinical staging of head and neck tumors is made increasingly more difficult in such cases where unrelated or dual lymph node pathology exists.