Is the retropharyngeal lymph node the first echelon node for carcinoma tonsil? Prospective evaluation and literature review

Tonsil cancer being predominantly treated by non-surgical means, there is a paucity of data on lymph nodal drainage pathways and histo-pathologically confirmed metastatic rates. This study assesses the retropharyngeal lymph node (RPLN) in N0 squamous cell carcinoma tonsil as a possible first echelon node and a site for occult metastasis. Prospective study involving treatment naive N0 carcinoma tonsil treated by primary surgery and adjuvant...