Carcinoma of the oral pharynx: an analysis of subsite treatment heterogeneity

Combined surgery and postoperative radiotherapy for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in Korea: analysis of 110 cases

“…One factor contributing to this poor survival might be the difficulty in examining the base of the tongue, therefore carcinomas found there are likely to be more advanced when diagnosed. The soft palate is easy to examine so, despite the relatively asymptomatic presentation of carcinomas in this region, they are usually identified early and referred for definitive management 17 . This study also confirmed that 95% of base-of-the-tongue lesions were classified as advanced AJCC stage, but only 47% of soft palate lesions were advanced.…”

Surgical management of squamous cell carcinoma of the soft palate: Factors predictive of outcome

“…There are therefore only a few studies that have analyzed this site separately or with sufficient numbers to determine factors predictive of outcome 2–5. The soft palate is composed of a mucosal and submucosal fold lining enclosing a structure composed predominantly of muscle and aponeuroses, with nerves, vessels, and mucous glands, attached to the posterior border of the hard palate 6. Unlike other sites in the oropharynx, lymphoid tissue does not feature prominently in its architecture.…”

Focus Issue: Neck Dissection for Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…In addition, 66–76% of patients with tonsillar OPSCC present with clinically positive nodal disease, most commonly in the jugulodigastric nodal group [1, 64, 65]. In tumors that involve the true tonsil as well as the posterior tonsillar pillar, up to 22% have been reported to present with bilateral nodal involvement, whereas primary tumor growth in the anterior pillar alone is associated with a 6% risk of bilateral neck disease [1, 64, 65]. Contralateral necks with evidence of metastatic spread, or at high risk of metastatic spread, must be considered for dissection if the treatment plan is operative.…”