AUTHOR=Meng Fan , Yuan Junhui , Zhang Xu , Liu Jun , Li Hailiang 

TITLE=Influence of parotid lymph node metastasis on distant metastasis in parotid gland cancer

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2023.1244194

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2023.1244194

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the number and extranodal extension (ENE) of positive parotid lymph nodes (LNs) on distant metastasis in parotid cancer.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Patients with surgically treated parotid cancer were retrospectively enrolled. The hazard ratios (HRs) of the number and ENE of positive parotid LNs on distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were evaluated.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>In the Cox model, the groups with zero and one positive LN had comparable 10-year DMFS, but those with two positive LNs had an HR of 2.11 (95% CI: 1.36–5.29), and those with three or more positive LNs had an HR of 3.31 (95% CI: 2.05–8.43). The presence of ENE in parotid LNs did not impact the DMFS (<italic>p</italic> = 0.462; HR: 2.17; 95% CI: 0.84–6.17).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Parotid LN metastasis was associated with decreased DMFS; this effect was mainly driven by the number of positive LNs rather than ENE.</p></sec>