[Cervical adenopathies of unknown primary site. Apropos of 190 cases]

From 1974 to 1983 a total of 190 patients with metastatic cervical adenopathy from an undetected epidermoid cancer were treated, this group representing 3% of total cervicofacial tumors seen. In half the cases the lymph node had evolved over more than 3 months and measured 6 cm or more. Prognosis was poor (27% survival at 3 years and 19% at 5 years). The presumed primary tumor was detected in 16% of cases and 27% of patients developed distant metastases, whereas the 86 patients treated by neck dissection and irradiation showed cervical evolution in only 23% of cases. The therapy proposed includes total radical neck dissection followed by pharyngeal and bilateral cervical irradiation, the value of chemotherapy remaining to be determined during controlled trials.