[Sentinel lymph node biopsy in oral cancer]

Management of the cervical lymph nodes is one of the most important factors in controlling head and neck carcinoma. The clinical treatment strategy for managing the N0 neck in oral cancer is still under debate. Recently, the accuracy and feasibility of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) have been investigated in many studies. An application of the technique to the area of oral cancer was therefore obvious. We reported the technique and accuracy of SNB in our center, and have reviewed the preliminary reports indicating that sentinel node identification is technically feasible in oral and pharynx cancer stages T1 and T2 with clinical N0. However, a multi-institutional trial is needed to determine whether SNB should become a standard procedure.