Neck metastasis in transglottic laryngeal carcinomas

Abstract

In laryngeal cancers, the first metastasis occurs in the cervical lymph nodes This study aimed to determine the levels of cervical metastatic lymph nodes in patients with transglottic laryngeal carcinoma, the effect of tumor prognostic factors on cervical lymph node metastasis. The research retrospectively examined 32 patients who underwent total laryngectomy and neck dissection, with the diagnosis of transglottic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Age, gender, complaint, smoking status, and other prognostic factors were evaluated. All patients underwent total laryngectomy with 63 neck dissections. Seven patients had metastatic cervical lymph nodes. Among the prognostic factors, thyroid cartilage invasion, combined perineural–perivascular invasion, subglottic extension, extralaryngeal extension, and preoperative tracheotomy procedure had statistically significant effects on neck metastasis. In conclusion; Dissection at level IIB should be reassessed to decrease morbidity due to the low prevalence of level IIB metastasis, both clinically and pathologically. In locally advanced laryngeal cancers, considering the prognostic factors, it is ideal to plan specific treatments for each patient.