Lymph Drainage Mapping for Tailoring Elective Nodal Irradiation in Head and Neck Cancer

After injection of nanocolloid tracer submucosally around the tumor, patients undergo lymph drainage mapping (LDM) using SPECT/CT. If no contralateral drainage is visualized, the patient receives unilateral elective nodal irradiation (ENI). In case of contralateral lymph drainage, a contralateral sentinel node procedure is performed. If pathologic evaluation finds no metastasis, the patient receives unilateral ENI. If (micro/macro) metastasis are found, the patient will receive bilateral ENI.