Objectives
In Thailand, the cancer mortality rate had been increasing in numbers
over the years. (1) Among them, oral cavity cancer is the seventh most
common cancer in Thai male, and the tongue is the most common site. The
incidence of oral tongue cancer is 2.2 and 1.0 per 100,000 males and
females, respectively. Overall, the 5-year survival rate of oral cavity
cancer is 25.9%, where tongue cancer has the worst prognosis. (3)
In general, the tumor, lymph node, distant metastasis (TNM) staging
system has been used to predict the disease prognosis, where size,
number, and location of the tumor (T) and lymph node (N) and the
presence of distant metastasis (M) are the primary considerations.
However, in recent studies, the tumor volume has increasing evidence for
its possible prognostic implication. Particularly in head and neck
cancer, the tumor volume is a promising prognostic factor for predicting
disease recurrence and distance metastasis. (4-5)
Therefore, our study aims to explore the use of relevant nodal volume on
its prognostic implication and the possible application of nodal volume
in addition to the current staging system.