Open Access Case report

Impact of middle and lower jugular neck dissection on supraclavicular lymph node metastasis from endometrial carcinoma

Masataka Kojima, Junkichi Yokoyama*, Shin Ito, Shinichi Ohba, Mitsuhisa Fujimaki and Katsuhisa Ikeda

Author Affiliations

Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, 2-1-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 113-8421

For all author emails, please log on.

World Journal of Surgical Oncology 2012, 10:143 doi:10.1186/1477-7819-10-143

Published: 12 July 2012

Abstract

Supraclavicular lymph node metastasis from endometrial carcinoma is considerably rarer than metastasis from uterine cervical cancer. To date, there have been no reported cases regarding systematic neck dissection as a salvage treatment. In this report, we describe the neck dissection procedure carried out on a 74-year-old woman with supraclavicular lymph node metastasis. Our objective was to histologically determine the origin of the metastasis while simultaneously providing appropriate treatment. The patient’s past medical history included two prior cases of cancer: rectal cancer 7 years earlier and endometrial adenocarcinoma 4 years earlier. We determined that middle and lower jugular neck dissection was appropriate in treating this case based on the results of our preoperative FDG-PET and tumor markers. This surgery provided histological evidence that metastasis occurred from endometrial carcinoma. Middle and lower jugular neck dissection was expected to improve the patient’s prognosis without impacting the patient’s active daily life. We have continued to monitor the patient closely over an extended period.

Keywords:
Neck dissection; Thoracic duct; Cervical lymph node; Endometrial adenocarcinoma; Chyle fistula