Oncologic Rationale for Bilateral Tonsillectomy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Source

Abstract

The rate of contralateral spread of metastatic cancer from occult tonsil lesions appears to approach 10%. For this reason, bilateral tonsillectomy is recommended as a routine step in the search for the occult primary in patients presenting with cervical metastasis of SCC and palatine tonsils intact.