Malignancy Detection by Molecular Cytogenetics in Clinically Normal Mucosa Adjacent to Head and Neck Tumors

Abstract
HEAD AND NECK cancer is estimated to account for 30300 new cases and 8000 deaths in 1998 in the United States.1 The single most important prognostic factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is complete surgical removal of the neoplasm, and failure to eradicate the primary tumor is the leading cause of death for patients.2,3 If microscopic cancer is present at a margin of resection, the rate of local recurrence increases substantially and the survival rate decreases.4 The presence of metastatic squamous cell cancer in cervical lymph nodes also increases the risk of local, regional, and distant metastatic spread, correlating with a 50% decrease in survival.3