Results in suprahyoid, modified radical, and standard radical neck dissections for metastatic squamous cell carcinoma: recurrence and survival.

Two hundred sixty-one patients who underwent three types of neck dissection for cervical lymphadenopathy in association with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck are analyzed retrospectively. Patients were grouped into those with histologically negative nodes and those with histologically positive nodes. Statistical analyses for neck recurrence and survival rates were made using the sampled permutation method. The results show that suprahyoid neck dissection is associated with an unusually high recurrence rate in the neck in patients with histologically negative nodes. Modified radical neck dissection and standard radical neck dissection are equivalent with regard to recurrences in the neck and five year survival rates when the disease is above the juguloomohyoid lymph node group. The study suggests that simple upper neck dissection is contraindicated in patients with negative or positive nodes and that modified radical neck dissection can be used in selected patients instead of the formal radical neck operation.