Abstract
Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an emerging strategy for managing early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with a clinically N0 (cN0) neck. However, the role of SLNB in this scenario is debatable. Herein, relevant literature was systematically reviewed, and a meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the potential dividends of SLNB compared to elective neck dissection (END) for these patients. The meta-analysis, including six prospective studies, showed comparable results of the two management strategies in terms of regional recurrence (risk ratio [RR] = 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58–1.70), 5-year disease-free survival (RR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.87–1.11), and 5-year overall survival (RR = 1.01; 95% CI, 0.90–1.13). Fewer adverse events occurred in the SLNB arm than in the END arm (RR = 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02–0.70). Overall, SLNB results in as favorable an oncologic prognosis for patients with cN0 oral SCC as END, while sign ificantly lessening side effects and unnecessary surgeries.
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