Disagreements In The Approach To The No Neck And Their Causes In Head And Neck Cancers

There are numerous controversial issues in the management of patients with NO neck. Whether the diagnosis of NO neck should be made based on the physical examination or imaging methods is contradictory in the first place. The rates of metastasis to the neck and the identification of occult neck metastasis vary according to the location and histopathological characteristics of the primary tumour. A wait-and-see approach may be preferred in the treatment of these patients, whereas an elective neck dissection or elective radiotherapy may be implemented considering all these features. An elective treatment is preferred if the occult metastasis ratio is higher than 15-20 0 /o. The neck dissection levels change depending on the primary tumour localisation. In patients with NO neck, it is required to decide on the most effective prophylactic treatment with low morbidity that can avoid cervical recurrence and distant metastasis.