DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2022.v10i12.072

Pages: 2507-2511

Background: An enlarged neck node often signifies the initial sign of the head and neck neoplastic process. Early diagnosis enhances survival chances. Metastasis is common among these malignancies, but some tumors invade locally without metastasis, while others metastasize early in development. Aim of the study: This study aimed to assess the clinical profile of patients with nodal metastasis in the neck. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at the Department of Otolaryngology and Head-Neck Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh, spanning from July 2007 to March 2009. It included 60 patients with metastatic neck nodes and known or unknown head-neck region primaries. The study employed random selection; data processing, analysis, and dissemination were carried out using MS Office tools. Results: The male-female ratio of participants was 3.6:1; about 31.67% were aged 41-50. Known and unknown primary lesions were in 88% and 12% of the cases respectively. Among known primary sites (n=53), 36% were carcinoma of the larynx, 15% pyriform fossa, 13.33% thyroid gland, 6.67% nasopharynx, and 5.00% base of the tongue. Histopathologically, 81.13% arose from the squamous lining of the upper aerodigestive tract, and 18.87% from non-squamous origins like thyroid gland (13.33%) and parotid gland (3.33%). Conclusion: Middle-aged males are mainly prone to nodal metastasis in the neck. Carcinoma of the larynx is very common among such cases. In most cases, lesions arise from the squamous lining of the upper aero-digestive tract.