Cervical and upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis from gastrointestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: true incidence and management.

Background: The incidence, clinical importance, and optimal management of cervical and upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis from gastrointestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETS) are largely unknown. Historically, cervical nodes have been regarded as asymptomatic and ignored. We hypothesized that these lesions have clinical implications and should be removed surgically.