The minimal number of examined lymph nodes for accurate nodal staging and favorable prognosis in T1-2 supraglottic laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective The study aimed to investigate the minimal number of examined lymph nodes (ELNs) for accurate assessment of lymph node status and favorable prognosis in patients with stage T1-2 supraglottic laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) who received radical resection. Methods Patients with stage T1-2 supraglottic LSCC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Cancer Hospital/National Cancer Center (NCC) were reviewed. The association of the ELN count with the identification of nodal metastasis and overall survival (OS) was analyzed using a multivariate regression model. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing fitting curve and the ‘changepoint’ package were adopted to identify the optimal cut points using R. Results A total of 429 patients from the SEER database and 53 patients from NCC were enrolled. The probability of identifying nodal metastasis was positively related to the ELN count. For patients diagnosed with pathological stage N0 (pN0) disease, the mortality risks rapidly decreased when the amount of ELNs exceeded ten, and those with ELNs >10 had better OS. Conclusion An adequate amount of ELNs benefits precise nodal staging in patients with stage T1-2 supraglottic LSCC. Ten lymph nodes are the minimum number of ELNs. For pN0 patients, an ELN count ≤10 is an unfavorable prognostic factor.