The positive expression rate of KAI1/CD82 protein in patients without lymph node metastasis (N0), according to the UICC TNM staging system (5), was 68.4% (13/19), which was higher than that (35.3%, 18/51) in the patients with the cervical lymph node metastasis (N1–3), and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Here, CD82 is linked to metastatic malignant neoplasm in the lymph nodes.