Cervical lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa: a retrospective study on pattern of involvement and clinical analysis

Background The study was performed with an aim to map the pattern of metastasis of squamous cell carcinomas of buccal mucosa to various cervical lymph node levels and analyze its correlation with primary tumor size and histo-pathological grading. Material and Methods 254 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa treated with surgery first approach were analyzed retrospectively. The tumor size was noted from pre-operative CT Scans and were divided into early and advanced tumors. The resected specimen was studied to note the histo-pathological grading of the squamous cell carcinoma and the metastatic deposits at various lymph node levels. Results Out of 254 patients (149 fema…