32 Chapter 2 Figure 1: MET ectodomain shedding resulting in lysosomal or proteasomal degradation. The use of depth of invasion in clinical decision making on elective neck dissection Within the Erasmus MC, the DOI (> 4 mm) is used to in making the decision to perform an END (39-41). Unfortunately, the DOI is assessed days after primary tumor excision by means of final histopathological evaluation (42). This implies that cancers having a DOI > 4 mm require a second stage END resulting in higher morbidity for the patient, inefficient use of resources, time, and extra costs. As such, there is a need for reliable preoperative predictors of occult RLNM that can be implemented in a routine diagnostic setting to further facilitate the decision to perform an END. Aims and outline of the thesis One of today’s challenges lies in development of CDx that stratify OSCC patients, who are eligible for treatment with MET targeted therapies (43). As such, the primary aim of this thesis was to take the initial steps in identifying those patients likely to benefit from MET targeted therapies and designing a relevant patient stratifica-
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