Neck metastases
The human neck is a very complex part of the body of small size, connecting the body to the head. Pass through the neck: the trachea, larynx, esophagus, cervical vertebrae and blood vessels that support the brain. The neck performs very important functions in ensuring the normal life of a person, it is often very vulnerable.
Its upper border runs along the outer occipital tubercle and the lower edge of the lower jaw, the lower one - from the jugular notch to the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra. The cervical vertebrae and muscles provide the head with the greatest mobility.
In addition to the above, the neck also contains lymph nodes, subdivided into anterior and lateral groups. They, in turn, are divided into superficial and deep lymph nodes, occipital, mastoid, chin, submandibular and others.
The neck is a kind of channel through which lymph flows and collects from the organs of the trunk, chest, head, abdominal cavity, upper and lower extremities. Metastases, too, mainly spread by the lymphogenous pathway, which is quite well studied today (metastases are secondary tumors that develop when the cancer cells of the primary tumor move through the blood or lymph).
It is known that the location of a cancerous tumor partly determines the localization of metastases. In the lymph nodes of the neck, primary tumors of the thyroid, prostate and mammary glands, tongue, lungs, lips, stomach, colon, kidneys, and sometimes the esophagus and larynx are most often metastasized.
Such lesions are more likely to heal because the surgery removes the regional lymph nodes, which often leads to complete recovery. Their growth rate depends on the type of primary focus. Secondary foci can be located singly, in multiple groups, or in whole conglomerates of nodes. Often they have a round or spherical shape, dense, painless, welded together or with tissues.
Quite often, secondary foci on the neck are diagnosed earlier than primary ones, they are called metastases without an identified primary foci, they account for 4 to 15% of all cancers. Such manifestations cannot be called specific and many patients perceive an increase in lymph nodes as a manifestation of respiratory diseases. Often, four months pass from the manifestation of metastases in the neck to the patient's admission to a specialized institution, which reduces the chances of recovery.
As you already understood, the likelihood of neck metastasis for cancer patients is very high and depends on a number of factors:
- From the patient's age - the younger the person, the better his lymph flow and the greater the likelihood of secondary foci,
- From the localization of the primary source,
- From the form of cancer - different types of cancer metastasize at different rates,
- From the stage at which specialized treatment began,
- From the degree of cell differentiation, superficial forms of cancer (exophytic growth) metastasize less frequently than forms growing into the thickness of an organ or tissue (endophytic growth).
Finding the primary source of infection, which is necessary for successful treatment, has not been successful to this day. More patients die from the development of metastases than from the primary tumor. Despite the availability of face-to-face neck examination, the diagnosis of neck metastases is rather difficult and the following methods are used for this:
- Biopsy - an intravital collection of tissues or cells for diagnosis,
- Endoscopy - examination of organs with an endoscope through natural pathways,
- Computed tomography - layer-by-layer examination of tissues,
- Magnetic resonance imaging - harmless radiation diagnostics using radio beams,
- Lymphography - X-ray of the lymphatic system, after staining with a radiopaque substance,
- Palpation - feeling
- Morphological examination - taking a scraping or smear for further research,
- Ultrasound examination and histology,
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Radionucleide diagnostics is the introduction of a labeled compound into the bloodstream of the body with the subsequent assessment of the information received.
The tactics of treating metastases depends on various factors:
- is the primary focus identified,
- if a focus is identified, then from its stage, location, growth rate and their number,
- from the primary localization of the tumor and metastases,
- from the result of clinical testing,
- and even from the moral state of the patient.
Due to the complexity of diagnosing metastases on the neck, there is no single approach to treatment, therefore, a council of doctors and diagnosticians selects a treatment method individually, based on a combination of the above factors. The main methods of treating metastases in the neck are the following:
- Chemotherapy - exposure to toxins on lesions with less harmful effects on the patient's body.
- Radiation therapy - diseased cells are exposed to ionizing radiation. Healthy cells are not affected. The effect depends on the radiation dose.
- Surgical intervention.
- A collection of several methods.
The presence of metastases always speaks of an unfavorable course of cancer and sometimes it is tantamount to a death sentence. Unfortunately, the treatment does not pass without leaving a trace for the patient. It causes side effects, while certain functions of the body are disrupted, some changes are irreversible. The return of metastases is always a great threat to the patient's life. It should be understood how important timely detection of the primary source is, as this can help to avoid the appearance of secondary foci.
Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist
Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".
