Validation study for sentinel lymph node biopsy in intraoral squamous cell cancer.

Purpose: The objective of the study was the validation of the sentinel lymph node biopsy technique for intraoral squamous cell cancer. Methods A descriptive study of the patients threated with a sentinel lymph node biopsy for intraoral squamous cell cancer during the year 2021 at the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital in Granada was done. As the technique was being validated, homolateral elective neck dissection of levels IA, IB, IIA, IIB, III and IV was performed in all patients. Results The study presents 31 patients (17 men and 14 women) with early-stage intraoral squamous cell carcinoma (cT1/cT2 N0), obtaining 32.6% (10) of sentinel nodes positive for squamous cell carcinoma. The sensitivity was 90% and the specificity 100%. The most frequent location was the left lingual lateral border, with the migration of the radiotracer unilaterally. The mean hospital stay was 4.7 days and the mean surgical time was 237.7 minutes. There were two cases of postoperative cervical hematoma and two cases of shoulder pain syndrome, which improved with physiotherapy. Conclusion We conclude that it is a useful technique for detecting occult metastases in the early stage (T1/T2 N0) intraoral squamous cell cancer, avoiding unnecessary neck dissections, reducing morbidity and hospital costs, without having a negative impact on patient survival