Abstract
Lingual lymph node metastases are rarely seen in carcinoma of the tongue, and these
nodes are not removed during neck dissection. Lingual lymph nodes are classified into
medial and lateral groups, and metastasis to the former is extremely rare. A 55-year-old
male with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, (stage T4aN0M0), underwent hemiglossectomy
with neck dissection and free flap reconstruction. The lingual septum had a mass,
8 mm in size, which was diagnosed as medial lingual lymph node metastasis on histopathology.
The patient developed multiple distant metastases and died of disease 18 months after
the initial surgery. The presence of medial lymph node metastasis could result in
contralateral neck metastases and worsen prognosis. Such cases may warrant more intensive
therapy than recommended by current guidelines.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Auris Nasus LarynxAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Metastases to the lingual nodes in tongue cancer: a pitfall in conventional neck dissection.Auris Nasus Larynx. 2010; 37: 386-389
- Anatomy of the human lymphatic system.Edwards Brother, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI1938
- Metastasis to the lingual lymph node in carcinoma of the tongue.J Maxillofac Surg. 1985; 13: 277-281
- Lingual lymph node metastasis from tongue cancer.Jpn J Head Neck Cancer. 1994; 20 ([in Japanese]): 50-56
- Anatomic-histologic study of the floor of the mouth: nthe lingual lymph nodes.Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2015; 45: 547-554
- Lateral lingual lymph node metastasis in tongue cancer and the clinical classification of lingual lymph nodes.J Jpn Soc Head Neck Surg. 2016; 1 ([in Japanese]): 71-78
- Histological distribution of cervical lymph node metastases from intraoral/oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1999; 37: 175-180
- Median lingual lymph nodes: prevalence on imaging and potential implications for oral cavity cancer staging.J Comput Assist Tomogr. 2017; 41: 528-534
- Functional anatomy of the lymphatic drainage system of the upper aerodigestive tract and its role in metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma.Head Neck. 2003; 25: 322-332
- Three dimensional architecture of lymphatic vessels in the tongue.Lymphology. 2003; 36: 120-127
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: March 29, 2019
Accepted:
March 8,
2019
Received:
January 2,
2019
Footnotes
☆This paper was presented at the 28th annual meeting of the Japan Society for Head and Neck Surgery.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Society of Japan Inc. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
ScienceDirect
Access this article on ScienceDirectLinked Article
- Reply to Dr. Alberto DeganelloAuris Nasus LarynxVol. 47Issue 6
