A model for multidisciplinary data collection for cervical metastasis

A system for multidisciplinary data collection for metastatic neck disease is discussed. Information from 87 neck dissections and 3218 lymph nodes is reported to illustrate the strength of the model. Clinical (endoscopic) assessment under general anesthesia, surgical assessment during the neck dissection, and radiographic (computed tomographic scan) assessment were compared with the pathological evaluation. All disciplines stratified the necks by region and node size. This model provides an effective stratagem for multi-institutional studies.