[Selective neck dissection in head and neck cancer]

While (modified) radical neck dissection was seen formerly as an essential measure for securing local tumor control and improvement of the prognosis for head and neck cancer patients, this procedure is nowadays often replaced by selective neck dissection. Selective neck dissection is associated with a comparably low morbidity and acceptable functional results without having a negative impact on the prognosis of the patients. As staging procedure, neck dissection is currently the gold standard, so that selective neck dissection is an approved part of the therapy of the clinical N0 neck and is recommended as salvage therapy of the neck after radiochemotherapy. There are also aspects supporting the performance of selective neck dis-section in selected patients with N + neck.