Sublingual lymph node metastasis of early tongue cancer: report of two cases and review of the literature

Sublingual lymph node metastasis of early stage squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (SCCT) is seldom reported. Lymphatic tissue in the floor of mouth, which intervenes between the tongue and neck, will be left behind by a primary tumour resection with discontinuous neck dissection. The authors present two cases of early stage SCCT with sublingual lymph node metastasis, review the literature, and discuss the management of the floor of mouth for early stage SCCT. The authors suggest that more attention should be paid to possible sublingual lymph node metastasis for T1/T2 SCC of the ventral tongue with deeply endophytic infiltration.