Prognostic factors in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with cN3 neck disease: a retrospective case-control study

Objective This study examined prognostic factors in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with advanced neck disease. Study Design The records of 191 patients with previously untreated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and metastatic cervical lymph node (LN) >6 cm (cN, n = 70) and 3.01 to 6 cm (control, n = 121) in the greatest dimension were reviewed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify factors associated with disease-free survival (DFS) and locoregional control (LRC). Results In the cN3 group, independent variables for DFS were age, active drinking, LN size, and extranodal extension ( P P  = .025). In the control group, independent variables for DFS were tumor location and differentiation and LN bilaterality ( P P  = .011). Conclusions The survival of cN3 patients is affected by host and nodal characteristics including age, drinking, nodal size, and extranodal extension.