Clinical study of neck dissection for lymph node metastasis in patients with malignant skin tumors of the forehead and face

Abstract

We reviewed the records of 10 patients with malignant skin tumors of the forehead and face who underwent neck lymph node dissection at Kurume University Hospital between 2000 and 2004. Two patients underwent selective neck dissection (SND), 5 patients underwent SND and superficial parotidectomy (SP) and 3 patients underwent modified radical neck dissection and SP. Lymph node metastasis to the upper jugular group was found in 3 patients, and metastasis to lymph nodes of the parotid region was found in 3 patients. In a patient with malignant melanoma of the forehead, the patent blue dye was injected intradermally around the tumor and blue-stained lymph nodes were identified in the upper jugular group and parotid region. From these results, we consider that the sentinel lymph nodes of frontal and facial malignant tumors are located in the upper jugular group and parotid region. Thus, in malignant skin tumor patients, SND and SP might be mandatory.