Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026
A Model for Perineural Invasion in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: January 5, 2017
Primary head and neck cancer. Histopathologic predictors of recurrence after neck dissection in patients with lymph
Objective:
Retrospectively analyze several histopathologic variables that may predict neck recurrence after neck dissection.
Design:
From 1970 through 1980, 284 patients with pathologically confirmed metastatic squamous cell carcinoma underwent neck dissection and received no adjuvant therapy. Kaplan-Meier evaluation estimated a 74% 2-year neck recurrence-free rate. After adjusting for the standard covariates of age, gender, neck stage, and tumor grade, we also controlled for the time-dependent covariates of primary recurrence, occurrence in the side of the neck not operated on, or development of new head and neck primary disease.
Setting:
A large referral-based practice.
Results:
The number of lymph nodes involved, invasion of vascular/lymphatic space, invasion of soft tissue, and desmoplastic lymph node pattern adversely affect neck recurrence. A desmoplastic stromal pattern was associated with almost a sevenfold increased risk of neck recurrence. To our knowledge, this finding has not been reported previously.
Conclusion:
Histopathologic evaluation of metastatically involved cervical nodes can identify patients with head and neck cancer who are at high risk for recurrence.
