The functional neck dissection for lymph node neck metastasis in oral carcinoma

This is a report of 14 patients who suffered from oral cancer and underwent radical excisions of the oral cancer lesion with functional neck dissection at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Annasawmy Mudaliar General Hospital, Bangalore, between 2010 and 2011. Eleven males and 3 females were involved, with the average age of 68.7 years. All patients had positive cervical lymph nodes proven by clinical and ultrasound examination. Level IB was positive in all cases and Level II of the neck was found additionally involved in five cases. A functional neck dissection in patients with a clinically positive node neck achieved better disease-free survival with minimal postoperative co-morbidity.