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Updated: Jul 3, 2026
Modified Radical Neck Dissection for Cervical Metastasis
Published on: February 20, 2026
Therapeutic selective neck dissection (level II-V) for node-positive hypopharyngeal carcinoma: is it oncologically
Young Chang Lim1, Jin Seok Lee, Eun Chang Choi
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that routine level I dissection may not be necessary in the surgical management of clinically N + hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in patients who do not have a positive lymph node in neck level I.
Objective:
To determine whether level I lymph node dissection can be saved in patients with clinically N + hypopharyngeal SCC.
Patients And Methods:
Retrospective analysis of 64 consecutive clinically N + patients with untreated hypopharyngeal SCC between 1994 and 2006. Forty-seven patients underwent level I lymph node dissection and the remaining 17 did not. Forty-five of the 64 patients were followed for a minimum of 2 years, if alive, or until death. Of these 45 patients, 35 underwent ipsilateral level I dissection of the neck.
Results:
The incidence of occult metastases to level I was 6% (3 of 47). Six (17%) of 35 patients with level I dissection and 1 (10%) of 10 patients without level I dissection experienced regional recurrence (p>0.05). The 2-year disease-specific survival in 47 patients undergoing level I neck dissection was 44% compared with 37% in 17 patients who did not undergo level I neck dissection (p>0.05).
