Cervical lymph node metastases from occult squamous cell carcinoma.

Depending on patient and tumor characteristics, reported 5-year actuarial survival rates of patients with cervical nodal metastasis from an unknown primary carcinoma range from 18% to 63%. Prognostic factors for survival include N-stage, number of nodes, grading, extracapsular extension, and performance status. Retrospective studies suggest that neck relapse is more common than are distant metastases or emergence of mucosal primary tumors. The treatment options include neck dissection alone, radiation alone to the neck with or without the putative mucosal origin, and combination unilateral neck dissection plus limited or comprehensive radiotherapy. Combination of nodal dissection with comprehensive bilateral radiotherapy yielded most favorable results in local-regional disease control. However, its impact on the quality of life should be recognized. Also, the confounding effects of patient selection for various treatment modalities on therapeutic outcome cannot be quantified. Retrospective single-institution comparisons between comprehensive and unilateral neck radiotherapy did not show apparent differences in outcome. A randomized trial to compare the therapeutic value of comprehensive versus volume-limited radiotherapy is being planned. No data were found to support the benefit of chemotherapy for the treatment of this disease.