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Topic: State of the Art in the Management of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Contralateral neck dissection in oral

squamous cell carcinoma: when it should

be done?

Laura Villanueva-Alcojol
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Infanta Cristina, 06080 Badajoz, Spain.
Correspondence Author: Dr. Laura Villanueva-Alcojol, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Infanta
Cristina, Avenida de elvas s/n, 06080 Badajoz, Spain. E-mail: lauravillanueva@hotmail.com

Dr. Laura Villanueva-Alcojol, M.D., Ph.D., obtained her Medical Degree at University of
Extremadura School of Medicine in Badajoz, Spain, in 2006. She received in 2012 her speciality
in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University Hospital Infanta Cristina, Badajoz, Spain.
She has been working as a consultant at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in
University Hospital Infanta Cristina, Badajoz, Spain, since then. She obtained her Doctoral
Thesis about “Characteristics of newly formed bone after sinus lift procedures: analysis with
micro-CT, histology and Cone-Beam CT” in 2013 at the University of Extremadura School of
Medicine, Badajoz, Spain. Actually, she is University Honorary Collaborator at the University of
Extremadura School of Medicine, Badajoz, Spain.

ABSTRACT
Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has a high incidence of cervical micrometastases
and sometimes metastasizes bilaterally because of the rich lymphatics in the submucosal plexus,
which freely communicate across the midline. The presence of contralateral pathologic lymph
nodes has been reported previously as a critical factor influencing the survival of patients. There are
a few reports in the literature with regard to the rates of contralateral neck disease and the factors
that may be involved in the risk with them. An elective ipsilateral neck treatment is generally
recommended for initial treatment in all OSCC. However, no consensus exists whether or not to
perform an elective contralateral neck dissection or radiation. In this study, a systematic review
has been performed in order to evaluate the predictive value of clinical-histopathologic factors
potentially related to contralateral occult lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinomas of
the oral cavity to form a rational basis for elective contralateral neck management.

Key words:
Contralateral neck dissection; squamous cell carcinoma; oral cavity; oral cancer

INTRODUCTION 40% of them occur in the oral cavity. Squamous cell
carcinoma (SCC) is the most common histological type,
Head and neck cancer is the fifth most common type of with a frequency of approximately 90%. The presence
cancer worldwide, among all neoplasms. Approximately
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How to cite this article: Villanueva-Alcojol L. Contralateral neck
DOI: dissection in oral squamous cell carcinoma: when it should be done?
10.20517/2347-9264.2016.14 Plast Aesthet Res 2016;3:181-8.
Received: 30-03-2016 ; Accepted: 08-06-2016
© 2016 Plastic and Aesthetic Research | Published by OAE Publishing Inc. 181