Outcome of neck dissections in a rural tertiary University Hospital in Malaysia

Objective: To determine the outcome of neck dissection among our head and neck cancer patients in the setting of a rural Universiti Sains Malaysia hospital. Methodology: Neck dissection procedures were reviewed from 2004 to 2008. The medical folders of each patient were traced and the data collected includes diagnosis, type of operative procedure and outcome on follow-up. Results: A total of fourteen patients had undergone neck dissection as a combined procedure with the primary tumor surgical removal. There were five radical neck and one modified type two radical neck dissections. The rest were eight selective neck dissections (three anterior and five supraomohyoid). Twelve patients underwent unilateral neck dissections and two patients underwent bilateral neck dissections. The average duration of hospital stay was seventeen days, the longest stay was two months and the shortest stay was four days. One patient died secondary to complication of the primary tumor and one had to undergo exploration due to chylous leak post operation. Conclusions: Neck dissection is a surgical procedure to control neck lymph nodes metastasis from primary carcinoma of the head and neck. The extent of the cervical nodes involvement determines the type of neck dissections and their outcomes.