FDG-PET is a useful tool for preoperative evaluation of the neck because it accurately detects metastatic lymph nodes > or =10 mm and has fewer false-positive cases than CT. The high specificity of FDG-PET for lymph node metastases may play an important role in avoiding unnecessary neck dissection.

Histologic analysis of squamous cell carcinoma of the lower alveolus shows 2 basic patterns of tumor spread in relation to the mandible: an infiltrative one and an expansive one. While the tumor invades the mandible by destroying the bone or through cortical defects of some spaces in the infiltrative form, the tumor does this only by eroding the bone in the expansive form, in which the degree of bone resorption seems to be proportional to tumor advancement. A comparison between radiologic and histologic features discloses that the radiologically detected bone defects are not necessarily correlated with the patterns of bone involvement. However, most lesions with erosive bone defects show the expansive pattern histologically, and the extent of the radiologically detected bone defect is roughly in accordance with the histologic extent of bone involvement. These results lead us to believe that some squamous carcinoma of the lower alveolus could be treated successfully without sacrificing the continuity of the mandible.

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The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether self-assessed masticatory ability (masticatory ability) is significantly related to muscle strength of the body evaluated as handgrip strength and skeletal muscle mass of the whole body (kg) (SMM) after adjusting for confounding variables, including, age, gender, height, weight, employment status, type of household, educational background, social interaction, chronic medical conditions, smoking habit, drinking habits and dentition status among the elderly. A total of 381 persons aged 67-74 years were enrolled. Masticatory ability was classified into one of three categories: ability to chew all kinds of food, ability to chew only slightly hard food or ability to chew only soft or pureed food. Handgrip strength was measured, and bioimpedance analysis was used to estimate SMM. One-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni methods were used to examine differences in handgrip strength and SMM among the three groups of masticatory ability. An ordinal regression model was conducted with masticatory ability as the dependent variable and handgrip strength as the principal independent variable. Handgrip strength was significantly lower in those individuals who could chew only soft or pureed food than in those individuals who could chew all kinds of food. No significant difference in SMM was found among the three groups of masticatory ability. Masticatory ability was significantly related to handgrip strength after adjusting for SMM, dentition status and background factors. Chewing ability may be related to muscle strength of the body evaluated as handgrip strength, but not evaluated as SMM.