ORIGINAL ARTICLE EFFICACY OF ROUTINE BILATERAL NECK DISSECTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THE N0 NECK IN T1–T2

Abstract: Background. The treatment of the clinically nega-tive (N0) neck in supraglottic laryngeal cancer continues to be an area of controversy. The aim of this study was to analyze the long-term efficacy of routine bilateral neck dissection compared with ipsilateral neck dissection in T1–T2 N0 lateral supraglottic carcinomas. Methods. A retrospective review of 108 patients who under-went surgery for T1-T2 supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma was performed. Forty-eight had undergone ipsilateral func-tional neck dissection, and 60 had undergone bilateral functional neck dissections. None of these patients received adjuvant radiotherapy. Results. No significant differences (p .78) in regional re-currence were observed between the patients treated with bilat-eral neck dissection (13%) and those treated with ipsilateral neck dissection (17%). The 5-year survival rates were 73 % and 80 % for the patients who received a bilateral and ipsilateral neck dissection, respectively (p .51). Conclusions. This study suggests that routine bilateral neck dissection may not be necessary in the surgical treatment of al