Prognostic value of initial mononucleated cell percentages in patients with epidermoid carcinoma of the head and neck.

It has been established that staging of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck at the time of diagnosis carries the most significant prognostic factor. Searching for other prognostic factors at the time of diagnosis, the percentages of lymphocytes and monocytes in the peripheral blood were studied. The results revealed that there were significantly higher lymphocyte values in patients without regional lymph node metastasis compared with those with such metastasis (p = 0.