Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center (Taussig) Outcomes
Head and Neck Cancer
Failure Rate in the Untreated Contralateral Node Negative Neck of Small Lateralized Oral Cavity Cancers: A Multi-Institutional Collaborative Study
2005-2015
The importance of treating the bilateral neck in lateralized small oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCC) is unclear. We sought to define the incidence and predictors of contralateral neck failure (CLF) in patients who underwent unilateral treatment.
Cumulative Incidence of Regional Failure Following Unilateral Treatment for Lateralized, Small Oral Cavity Cancers
2005-2015
| 2-Year Cumulative Incidence (95% CI) | 5-Year Cumulative Incidence (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Ipsilateral | 11.9% (7.0-16.8%) | 13.3% (8.1-18.5%) |
| Contralateral | 3.6% (0.8-6.5%) | 4.3 (1.2-7.4%) |
Overall Survival Estimate Following Unilateral Treatment for Lateralized, Small Oral Cavity Cancers
2005-2015
| 2-Year Overall Survival (95% CI) | 5-Year Overall Survival (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| All Patients | 90.6% (86.2-95.0%) | 80.6% (74.5-86.8%) |
Overall Survival Estimate by Regional Disease Status
2005-2015
| 2-Year Overall Survival (95% CI) | 5-Year Overall Survival (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| No Neck Failure | 95.0% (91.4-98.6%) | 85.1% (78.9-91.3%) |
| Ipsilateral Neck Failure | 77.9% (60.7-95.0%) | 63.8% (43.7-83.9%) |
| Contralateral Neck Failure | 55.5% (23.1-88.0%) | 55.5% (23.1-88.0%) |
Observation of the clinically node negative contralateral neck in small lateralized OCC can be a suitable management approach in well selected patients, however caution should be applied when DOI upstages small but deeply invasive tumors to T3 on 8th edition AJCC staging.
