Prognostic value of lymph node density for major salivary gland carcinoma without clinical lymph node metastasis
Hoshino Terada1, Hidenori Suzuki1, Nobuhiro Hanai1
1Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Background And Objective:
This study aimed to investigate whether lymph node density (LND) was correlated with overall survival (OS) in major salivary gland carcinoma without clinical lymph node metastasis.
Methods:
Sixty patients who were diagnosed with major salivary gland carcinoma without clinical lymph node metastasis were enrolled. Of these, 50 patients underwent neck dissection. LND was defined as the ratio of the number of positive lymph nodes to the total number of resected lymph nodes.
Results:
An LND of ≥0.1 was significantly associated with a short OS (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis with adjustment for pathological N classification and positive surgical margin showed that an LND of ≥0.1 is a predictor of OS.
Conclusion:
Results demonstrated that lymph node density functions as a predictor of outcomes for major salivary gland carcinoma without clinical lymph node metastasis.
