cN+pN0 disease does not portend a less favorable prognosis compared with cN0pN0 in patients with resected oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.

Despite a higher risk factor burden, the prognosis of patients with cN+pN0 disease did not differ from that of cases with cN0pN0. The higher nodal yield and the more frequent use of adjuvant therapy in cN+pN0 disease may explain the lack of significant differences in terms of neck control compared with cN0pN0 disease.