M. Abraham Kuriakose

Patterns of nodal metastasis and surgical management of the neck in supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Appropriate management of the clinically negative (N0) neck in supraglottic laryngeal cancer continues to be an area of controversy in head and neck surgery. Our treatment policy has been aggressive surgical management even in the clinically N0 neck. METHODS: Between 1971 and 1991, 104 patients had the primary diagnosis of supraglottic laryngeal cancer. Ninety of these patients received their treatment at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and are the subject of this retrospective review. RESULTS: All neoplasms included in this study were squamous cell cancers. The most common subsite involved with tumor in our series was the epiglottis, followed by the aryepiglottic folds and false cords. Supraglottic laryngectomy was performed of 29% of the cases; the remainder received total laryngectomy. Thirty-six percent of the patients had pathologic stage I/II disease, and 64% had stage III/IV. The 5-year survival rates were 100%, 81%, 73%, and 63% for stages I through IV, respectively. Fifty-seven patients had clinically N0 disease at presentation; of these 34 underwent elective neck dissection, and the remaining 23 patients were observed. Of those patients receiving neck dissection, 30% (n = 10) were found to have histologically positive disease, and of the 23 patients observed, 30% (n = 7) had histologically positive regional (neck) disease. Of the 17 clinically N0 and pathologically N+ patients, 82% (14 of 17) had involvement of level I (submandibular triangle), and 100% had involvement of level II. The incidence of bilateral disease in the clinically N0 patient was 44%. There were no local failures. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high incidence of occult regional disease even in early-stage supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. In the surgical management the clinically N0 neck, we presently recommend bilateral neck dissection of levels I through IV to adequately address those regions at highest risk for occult disease. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1999;121:57-61.)

Surgery versus radiation therapy as single-modality treatment of tonsillar fossa carcinoma: The roswell park cancer institute experience (1971–1991)†

Objective: To compare the efficacy and treatment outcomes in patients with tonsillar fossa cancer using surgery or radiation as a single modality therapy. Methods: From 1971 to 1991 239 patients with oral pharyngeal cancer were treated at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Of these patients 90 had tonsillar carcinoma. Seventy‐six of these patients received either surgery (SA) (n = 56) or radiation therapy (RA) (n = 20) as single‐modality therapy and are the subject of this review. All patients in the radiation arm of this review were surgical candidates who declined primary surgical therapy. Results: Sixty‐three percent of the SA and 80% of the RA treatment groups presented with either stage III or stage IV disease (P ⩽ .05). Forty‐seven percent of the SA group and 52% of the RA patients had clinically positive regional disease at initial presentation. There was a predictable pattern of nodal presentation, with level II the most frequently involved region. The rate of occult metastasis was 27% and was evenly distributed between T1 and T4 disease. The overall local control rate in the SA group was 75%, compared with 60% in the RA group (P value was not significant). The disease‐specific survival (all stages) was 61% in the SA group and 37% in the RA group (P ⩽ .05). The disease‐free survival for stage III and stage IV disease in the SA group was 47% and in the RA group 27% (P ⩽ .05). Survival measured against clinical response to radiation therapy, in complete responders (all stages) was 83%; by contrast there were no survivors past 24 months in the partial response group (P ⩽ .001). Conclusion: The results from this study suggest that for early disease (stage I/II), surgery or radiation therapy as single‐modality treatment is equally effective. For advanced disease radiation therapy is inferior to surgery as a single‐modality treatment, as measured by ultimate survival and the local control of disease. There is, however, a subset of patients with advanced disease who respond to radiation therapy and whose survival is equivalent to our surgical cohort of patients.

Biodegradable polymer–mediated intratumoral delivery of cisplatin for treatment of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in a chimeric mouse model

The effectiveness of chemotherapeutic agents is proportional to the dose of the agents at their targets; however, the dose is limited by systemic toxicity. Attempts have been made to improve therapeutic effectiveness by increasing maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of chemotherapeutic agents using various local and regional drug delivery systems. Herein we report the use of an injectable biodegradable polymer to deliver cisplatin for intratumoral treatment of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in a chimeric mouse model. The objectives of this research project were (1) to determine the release kinetics of cisplatin from the polymer delivery system, (2) to identify the MTD of polymer‐delivered cisplatin, and (3) to evaluate its therapeutic efficacy.

Interleukin‐12 delivered by biodegradable microspheres promotes the antitumor activity of human peripheral blood lymphocytes in a human head and neck tumor xenograft/SCID mouse model

The role of cytokines in tumor regression is now well established. The major limitation for the clinical use of cytokines is the lack of a simple and effective protocol for the local and sustained delivery of cytokines to the tumor milieu. This study reports suppression of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) by human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HuPBL) following local, sustained delivery of interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) to tumors with biodegradable microspheres in a human/SCID mouse chimeric model.

Surveillance in Oral Cancer

Oral cancer management involves a multidisciplinary approach with integration of surgical, radiation and medical oncology modalities. In addition, it also needs inputs from the rehabilitative team encompassing speech and swallow, dental, nutrition, psychosocial counselling, behavioural modification and substance abuse. Treatment-related complications and issues manifest across all the disciplines involved in the cancer treatment. Hence, the importance of surveillance arises in patients treated for oral cancer.