RATIONALE: New imaging procedures such as lymphoscintigraphy may improve the ability to detect the spread of mouth and throat cancer to lymph nodes in the neck.

PURPOSE: Pilot study of lymphoscintigraphy followed by sentinel lymph node mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy to detect lymph node metastases in the neck in patients who have mouth or throat cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

• Evaluate the sensitivity of lymphoscintigraphy and isosulfan blue in localization of sentinel lymph nodes in patients with previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx.
• Determine evidence of micrometastases in histologically normal sentinel lymph nodes resected from these patients.
• Assess the clinical significance of micrometastases in lymph nodes resected from these patients.

OUTLINE: Patients undergo preoperative lymphoscintigraphy utilizing technetium Tc 99m sulfur colloid followed by intraoperative injections of isosulfan blue at 3-4 locations into the primary tumor periphery. Once the afferent lymphatic channel and sentinel node have been identified, patients undergo cervical lymphadenectomy followed by resection of the primary tumor.

Resected primary tumor, radioactive lymph nodes, and blue-stained sentinel nodes are then subjected to molecular (polymerase chain reaction) and histocytochemical (immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin and micrometastases, light microscopy) analyses.

Patients are followed at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 25 patients will be accrued for this study.

• Drug: isosulfan blue
• Genetic: polymerase chain reaction
• Other: immunohistochemistry staining method
• Procedure: lymphangiography
• Procedure: radionuclide imaging
• Procedure: sentinel lymph node biopsy
• Radiation: technetium Tc 99m sulfur colloid

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed primary squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx

  • Stage 0-IVA (Any T, N0)
• No low-risk tumors
• Must require elective staging neck dissection and resection of primary tumor

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 to 70

Performance status:

• Not specified

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Not specified

Hepatic:

• Not specified

Renal:

• Not specified

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• No concurrent impaired mental status

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• Not specified

Chemotherapy:

• No prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• No prior radiotherapy

Surgery:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No prior surgery