[Secondary metastasis after excision of oral squamous cancer without local recurrence]

A secondary metastasis after surgery was uncovered in 12 out of 73 cases of oral squamous cancer. The clinical and histological characteristic tendencies of the metastasis of these 12 cases were the tongue as the tumor site (11/12), and an aggressive invasion in the tumor-host borderline with 2 of Gr, 3, 5 of Gr. 4C and 5 of Gr. 4D, according to the grading of Yamamoto and Kohama (1982). The control of these metastases was not easy because of their multiple and extra-nodal spread. Tumor-free survival occurred in 4 out of 11 (36.3%). Therefore, in some situations, a prophylactic neck dissection would seem to be recommended.