Pathology of malignant tumors of the nose and throat and their relationship to lymphatic metastasis.

One hundred cases of malignant tumors of the larynx, pharynx, oral cavity, nose and paranasal sinuses were studied. The hypopharynx was the most frequent site and the most common type of tumor was squamous cell carcinoma. Lymph nodes were palpable in 59% of cases, of which 72.8% showed histological evidence of metastasis. The highest incidence of metastasis was found in nasopharyngeal growths and the lowest in the nose and the sinuses. In laryngeal tumors the site of the tumor was the most important factor influencing regional lymphatic metastasis. The grade of the tumor influenced the lymph node metastasis in the regions of the hypopharynx, tonsil and base of tongue. At other sites the differentiation of the tumor did not seem to have any correlation with the incidence of metastasis.