Buccinator lymph node

Abstract: A 73-year-old man diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma of the left nasal ala was referred for preoperative scintigraphic sentinel lymph node mapping. In three separate foci around the lesion, 0.2 mCi of Tc-sulfur colloid was intradermally administered. Planar images demonstrated accumulation of tracer midway between the nose and left ear. SPECT/CT images localized radiotracer uptake to the left buccinator/buccal space, consistent with a buccinator lymph node, which is an inconsistent part of the facial lymphatic drainage. This case illustrates the added value of SPECT/CT and 3D reconstruction in sentinel lymph node localization, particularly in the head and neck.

Abstract: Metastasis of oral cancer to the buccinator lymph nodes (BN) is uncommon. The antegrade lymphatic flow in patients with normal anatomy and physiology makes metastasis of lower gingival cancer to BN unlikely. A 67-year-old woman presented with a 46 × 25-mm tumor on her lower gingiva, along with metastatic foci in BN and cervical lymph nodes. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, she underwent radical resection of the primary tumor and BN, along with neck dissection. Following surgery, she received adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Two years after treatment, there has been no evidence of tumor recurrence or metastasis. This is the first report of lower gingival squamous cell carcinoma with metastasis to BN. Metastasis to BN from lower gingival cancer is very rare but should be considered in patients with locally advanced tumors or tumors that metastasize to the submandibular node.

Abstract: Regional metastasis sometimes occurs in anatomies that are not included in traditional neck dissections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment outcomes of squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity (SCCOC) patients with unconventional metastatic lymph nodes (UMLNs) in sublingual, buccinator, and parotid anatomies. This retrospective multi-institutional analysis of squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity patients with unconventional metastatic lymph nodes was performed from January 2008 to December 2015. All the included patients received surgical treatment for unconventional metastatic lymph nodes. The end point of the study was to determine the factors influencing these patients’ survival and the corresponding solutions to improve survival. Pathological grade, contralateral metastasis, extranodal extension, and other factors were collected and analyzed by logistic regression and the Cox model. A total of 89 patients were identified. Among these patients, 25 (28.1%) received primary treatment, 28 (31.5%) received staged (therapeutic) neck dissections, and 36 (40.4%) had recurrent or residual diseases. Altogether, 45 patients (51%) had buccinator node metastases, 31 (35%) had sublingual metastases, 12 (14%) had parotid metastases, and 1 had both buccinator and parotid metastases. Regarding regional metastases, 31 patients (34.8%) had isolated unconventional metastatic lymph nodes. Adjuvant therapies were administered to 72 (80.9%) patients, 25 (28.1%) of whom were treated with radio-chemotherapies. The overall survival rate was 38.2%. Multivariate analysis found that the subsites of unconventional metastatic lymph nodes (P = 0.029), extranodal extension in both unconventional metastatic lymph nodes (P = 0.025) and cervical lymph nodes (P = 0.015), sites of primary or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity (P = 0.035), and types of neck dissections (P = 0.025) were significantly associated with overall survival. Unconventional metastatic lymph nodes are uncommon, yet awareness of potential unconventional metastatic lymph nodes should be heightened. Early surgical interventions are warranted in patients with sublingual or buccinator metastases, while caution should be given to those with parotid metastases. Aggressive en bloc (in-continuity) resections may be mandatory in advanced oral cancer cases for close anatomic locations with possible buccal or sublingual metastases.