The aim of this study is to clarify the clinicopathological features of patients having non-metastatic lymph nodes in the previously operated neck for oromaxillary squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The clinicopathological factors of 9 such patients were comparatively analyzed with those of 78 other patients who underwent neck dissection (ND). The following observations were elicited from the data: (1) These 9 patients were alive and without OSCC for periods ranging from 1 year to 15 years and 9 months since their initial cancer treatments. (2) The interval between ND and clinical and/or imaging recognition of newly developed lymph nodes with suspicion of recurrence was significantly longer in these 9 patients. (3) The initially removed lymph nodes tended to be in a less advanced stage of disease. (4) Retrospectively, discrimination of non-metastatic lymph nodes from metastatic nodes was difficult in only one patient. (5) Each of the extirpated lymph nodes from 7 of the 9 patients showed a varying grade of reactive lymphadenitis on histopathology. In conclusion, the occurrence of benign hyperplastic lymph nodes in the previously operated neck region suggested favorable prognosis, though the immunological mechanism is not understood.