Nodal staging of high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Background: While progress has been made in defining the clinical and histopathologic features of high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (HRcSCC), optimal staging guidelines remain elusive.

Objective: We seek to guide clinical practice regarding nodal staging options for patients with HRcSCC via review of evolving definitions of HRcSCC, nodal staging options, and how nodal staging may impact treatment and affect outcomes.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of the published peer-reviewed literature regarding risk stratification, nodal staging, and treatment and outcomes for patients with HRcSCC via PubMed.

Results: For patients without clinical lymphadenopathy, based on literature from head and neck SCC, preoperative nodal staging with ultrasonography may be more useful than computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Early nodal disease is usually curable, and therefore obtaining a sentinel lymph node biopsy specimen may be considered in those with negative imaging while we await studies of nodal staging outcomes.

Limitations: More data are needed to validate the relationships between primary tumor stage and sentinel lymph node biopsy status and to determine if early detection of nodal disease impacts survival for patients with HRcSCC.

Conclusion: It is reasonable to consider nodal staging for patients with HRcSCC (Brigham and Women's Hospital stage T2b and T3) in the absence of clinically palpable lymphadenopathy via radiographic imaging and, if negative, sentinel lymph node biopsy.