The aim of this article is to study the characteristics of cervical lymphatic metastasis in maxillary squamous cell carcinoma and the role of selective neck clearance. A multicenter, retrospective study was applied to study maxillary squamous cell carcinoma treated with surgery. Clinical data included the primary site of tumor, cervical lymph node status, and neck recurrence rate. RESULTS: 146 patients were included in the study, with a tumor local recurrence rate of 31.4%. cN0 patients had a cervical lymph node metastasis rate of 14.4%, 7.5% died from distant tumor metastasis, and the tumor local control rate was 52.5%. none of the patients with local tumor recurrence were saved. Conclusion: Squamous cell carcinoma of the palate, maxillary gingiva and odontoid process has regional lymph node metastatic behavior, and the rate of surgical treatment for patients with metastatic lymph node recurrence is low; therefore, selective cervical lymphatic dissection (zones I-III) is recommended for maxillary squamous carcinoma of T2, T3 and T4.