Page 37 - Sentinel lymph node biopsy in oral cavity cancer - Inne J. den Toom

Table 1. Data of demographic and tumour-related patient characteristics Histopathological status of SLNB Characteristic Patients, n (%) Gender, n (%) Male Female Median age (y) (range) Tumour location, n (%) Tongue Floor of mouth Buccal mucosa Inferior alveolar process Soft palate Clinical T stage, n (%) T1 T2 RESULTS Overall (%) 87 (100%) 45 (52%) 42 (48%) 60 (29-86) 54 (62%) 23 (26%) 03 (3%) 04 (5%) 03 (3%) 51 (59%) 36 (41%) 18 (2-62) Abbreviations: SLNB, sentinel lymph node biopsy; FOM, floor of mouth Negative (%) 61 (70%) 33 (54%) 28 (46%) 59 (32-81) 37 (61%) 17 (28%) 03 (5%) 02 (3%) 02 (3%) 42 (69%) 19 (31%) Positive (%) 26 (30%) 2 12 (46%) 14 (54%) 60 (29-86) 17 (65%) 06 (23%) 00 02 (8%) 01 (4%) 09 (35%) 17 (65%) 21 (2-62) Follow-up, (m) (range) Observation time 15 (3-61) SLNB was successful in 87 of 90 (97%) patients. In 2 patients, lymphoscintigraphy failed to visualize SLNs (identification rate 98% (88/90)), while in one patient the SLN could not be found intraoperatively (surgical detection rate 99% (87/88)). Blue dye was used in 83/88 (94%) patients. In total 229 SLNs (median 2, range 1-9) were surgically removed. A histopathologically positive SLNB was found in 26/87 (30%) of patients. Five patients were diagnosed with ITC, 12 with micrometastasis and 9 with macrometastasis. A positive SLNB was followed by (selective) neck dissection in 25/26 (96%) patients. One patient with isolated tumour cells was treated by radiotherapy needed for adverse pathological findings of the primary tumour. In 5/25 (20%) patients who underwent a subsequent ND additional metastatic lymph nodes were found. In all these patients the SLNB 35