Transoral Laser Resection of the Tongue Base in the Workup of Unknown Primary Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective Failure to localize the primary tumor site in head and neck carcinoma of unknown origin after imaging and endoscopic evaluation leads to increased treatment-related morbidity. The use of transoral laser microsurgery to improve the detection of unknown primary carcinoma site identification is described in this article. Methods A retrospective cohort of 71 consecutive cases of cervical carcinoma of an unknown primary source from 2006 until 2012 from a single academic institution was analyzed. Of these, 10 patients were excluded based on our exclusion criteria. All patients underwent endoscopy with biopsies performed by fellowship-trained head and neck cancer surgeons. Results The primary detection rate was 76% for patients who underwent laser tongue base resection versus 34% for traditional operative examination. There were no complications or prolonged recovery times in either group. Operative time was increased by the addition of the transoral base of tongue resection by 30 minutes. Conclusions Laser tongue base excision offers improved sensitivity in primary site detection without a significant increase in morbidity and only a modest increase in operative time.