Key points
● Many studies have tried to prove the usefulness and effectiveness of selective node biopsy (SNB) in early oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients with clinically no lymph node metastasis so far.
● SNB does not have life-threatening side effects, so it may be the preferred neck node treatment for early OSCC patients.
● This meta-analysis addressed the problem of previous meta-analysis of the same subject and included more studies with a total of 12 studies.
● In patients with early OSCC, no significant differences exist between SNB and elective node dissection (END) in overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) or disease-specific survival (DSS).
● SNB could be an important alternative to END for the neck management of early-stage OSCC patients with clinically no lymph node metastasis.