Limited Sensitivity of Ultrasound‐Guided Fine‐Needle Aspiration Cytology for Occult Nodal Metastases in Early‐Stage Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

In patients with early-stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma and a clinically negative neck, US-FNAC demonstrates high specificity but limited sensitivity and negative predictive value. These findings indicate that US-FNAC alone is insufficient to exclude occult nodal metastases and should be regarded as an adjunctive diagnostic tool rather than a stand-alone nodal staging strategy.