[Treatment of cervical lymph nodes in lip cancers]

From 1970 to 1985, 299 patients with lip cancer were examined, treated and followed-up at the Bergonié Foundation. In most cases, interstitial radiotherapy was used and the local control rate reached 94%. Local recurrences could usually be treated again, so that the final local control rate was 99%. However, the management of neck nodes remains controversial in some cases: 5.6% only of T1-2 N0 stages developed neck nodes, which were successfully controlled in 78.9% of cases and it was therefore considered that the preferred option should be to maintain the patients under close follow-up. For T3 N0 cases, of which 17.6% would evolve, it was considered that a sub-mental and sub-maxillary neck node dissection was advisable when performance status was satisfactory and when a close follow-up was difficult. The recurrence rate was 40% for patients with palpable neck nodes who were often submitted to a combined radio-surgical treatment. In such cases, recurrences were controlled in 22% of patients who died 7 times out of nine.