[Risk factors for distant metastasis in head and neck cancer]

To identify risk factors for the development of distant metastasis (MD) among patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) surgically treated.

A retrospective study of 253 patients from January, 1997 to December, 2002 was performed. Out of them, 10 patients presented DM during the follow up. The following aspects were analyzed: gender, age, tumor primary site, TNM classification, cervical lymph node status, and the presence of extracapsular spread - gross or microscopic.

The survival average for the patients with DM, after finishing the oncological treatment, was 16 months (standard deviation = 2.256). The presence of both gross extracapsular spread (Odd ratio = 14.429) and the microscopic one (OR = 17.471) and the both the neck advanced pathological staging (OR = 4.409) and the primary tumor staging (RR = 2.929) presented statistical significance as risk fators for the occurrence of DM.

The risk factors for DM were: microscopic and gross extracapsular spread, the pathological presence of positive neck lymph node and advanced primay tumor.