Nodal metastasis from thin tongue tumours
Reviewed by Stuart Clark

This is a retrospective study over the course of 7 years, in which 240 patients were assessed. All had excision of a T1/T2 tongue primary tumour with an elective neck dissection of level I–IV with or without reconstruction. Radiotherapy was used in close margin cases. Within this group, the 56 patients were node positive – 23% of the 240 patients with thin tongue tumours (i.e. depth of invasion < 5 mm). There was not a significant association between depth of invasion and nodal metastasis. They implied that the depth of invasion alone was not sufficient to predict nodal involvement. They found that tumour size being > 15 mm was more of a critical threshold and predictor of nodal metastasis.

Predictors of nodal metastasis in thin tongue tumours (depth of invasion <5mm) – revisited. 
Nemade H, Thaduri A, Gondi JT, et al. 
INT J ORAL MAXILLOFAC SURG
2026;55(5);507–12.