The lateral neck cystic mass – diagnostic dilemma. Can HPV status help?

Solitary cystic masses in the lateral neck can present a significant diagnostic dilemma as they can be metastases from tumours of the oro or nasopharynx. This retrospective paper detailed all patients presenting to a university hospital in Germany, from September...

What is the prognostic value of lymph node yield and density in head and neck cancer?

Neck dissection in addition to surgery of the primary site is commonly recommended in head and neck cancer treatment. However, there has been no consensus on the number of nodes that need to be removed to constitute a sufficient neck...

Neck dissection in adenoid cystic carcinoma is a risk worth taking?

This paper from Stanford University presents impressive figures to guide the debate on the extent of surgical management in adenoid cystic disease. Adenoid cystic carcinomas present a particular problem in that they can recur even after 20 years. They have...

First signs of late nodal metastases

This is a retrospective review of 65 patients who had late metastases during follow-up after initial curative treatment. They analyse the detection methods of palpation, ultrasound, CT and subjective symptoms. Palpation detected the nodes in 31 patients, ultrasound in 17,...