M. Shahla

Long term results of sentinel lymph node biopsy in early oral squamous cell carcinoma.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the long term results of the sentinel node (SN) biopsy technique in the management of the clinically negative (N0) neck in patients with early oral squamous cell carcinoma (T1–T2). Patients with positive SN underwent neck dissection. A sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy was performed on 31 consecutive patients. Six of the 31 patients were upstaged by the results of the SLN biopsy. The SLN biopsy allowed the identification of node metastasis in 100% of the cases with a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 100%, and negative predictive value of 100%. There was a mean follow-up of 59 months. The neck control rate was 100% in the SLN negative group and two SLN positive patients developed subsequent neck disease (neck control rate of 88%). One SLN patient presented at the follow-up with a second primary tumor, 18 months later treated successfully by chemoradiotherapy. The overall survival rate was 100% in both groups. The promising reported short-term results have been sustained by long term follow-up. Patients with negative SLN achieved an excellent neck control rate. The neck control rate in SN negative patients was superior to that in SLN positive patients, but not statistically different.

Prognostic value of FDG PET/CT in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Introduction The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) to identify the presence of cervical lymph nodes metastases and extracapsular spread with histologic correlations in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Methods The medical records of 54 patients who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma before surgery were reviewed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to differentiate patients with cervical lymph node metastasis from those without lymph node metastasis. The same statistical analysis was done to differentiate cervical lymph nodes with extracapsular spread from those without extracapsular spread. Results Metastatic disease was diagnosed histologically in 49% (26 of 54) of the patients. Extracapsular spread was present in ten of the 54 patients (19%). When ROC curve analysis and maximum standardized uptake (SUVmax) values were used to detect cervical lymph node metastasis, the area under the ROC curve was 0.96 and the optimal cutoff value for SUVmax was 4.05 based on ROC curve analysis. The sensitivity and specificity of SUVmax for the detection of cervical lymph node metastasis using this cutoff point were 92% and 88%, respectively. When ROC curve analysis and SUVmax values were used in order to detect extracapsular spread, the area under the ROC curve was 0.86, and the optimal cutoff value for SUVmax was 4.15 based on ROC curve analysis. Using this cutoff value, the sensitivity and specificity of SUVmax for the detection of extracapsular spread were 83% and 88%, respectively. Conclusion In our study, a median 18F-FDG PET/CT SUVmax cutoff value of 4.15 was found to be related with cervical lymph node metastasis and extracapsular spread in patients with head and neck cancer.

Should older head and neck patients be treated differently

OBJECTIVESnGrowing life expectancy is resulting in an increasing number of elderly patients with upper aero digestive tract tumor. The objective of this study was to assess the appropriateness of aggressive curative treatment for these older patients.nnnPATIENTS AND METHODSnPatients over the age of 70 years, with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) of the oral cavity, pharynx or larynx, primarily treated in our department between 2005 and 2007, were assessed retrospectively at 36 months follow-up. Demographics, comorbidity and treatment strategies and their associated morbidity and mortality were reviewed.nnnRESULTSnThirty-two males and 12 females with a median age of 77 years (range, 70-88 yrs) were given curative treatment. The majority presented with a least one comorbidity. Seven had a history of myocardial ischemia, 15 of chronic obstructive bronchopathy, and 10 of type-2 diabetes; 17 were under treatment for arterial hypertension, four had chronic renal insufficiency, and two had cirrhosis. Nine patients received radiation therapy alone; 18, concomitant chemoradiotherapy; 14, surgery with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy; three were treated by salvage surgery after failure of radiation therapy. In the 44 patients, there were 12 deaths: seven from recurrence, two from treatment complications, one from MI, one from peritonitis and one from pneumonia. At 36 months follow-up, 32 of the 44 patients were alive.nnnCONCLUSIONnHNSCC is a serious disease that often necessitates aggressive treatment. All patients who are medically eligible should receive curative treatment, without age being an exclusion criterion. Taking comorbidity into account, on the other hand, enables treatment options to be optimized.

Transarterial endovascular treatment in the management of life-threatening carotid blowout syndrome in head and neck cancer patients: Review of the literature

OBJECTIVESnCarotid blowout syndrome is a rare but devastating complication in patients with head and neck malignancy, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Bleeding from the carotid artery or its branches is a well-recognized complication following treatment or recurrence of head and neck cancer. It is an emergency situation, and the classical approach to save the patients life is to ligate the carotid artery. But the surgical treatment is often technically difficult. Endovascular therapies were recently reported as good alternatives to surgical ligation.nnnMETHODSnRetrospective review of three cases of acute or threatened carotid hemorrhage managed by endovascular therapies.nnnRESULTSnTwo patients presented with acute carotid blowout, and one patient with a sentinel bleed. Two patients had previously been treated with surgery and chemo radiation. One patient was treated by chemo radiation. Two had developed pharyngocutaneous fistulas, and one had an open necrosis filled wound that surrounded the carotid artery. In two patients, stent placement resolved the acute hemorrhage. In one patient, superselective embolization was done. Mean duration follow-up was 10.2 months. No patient had residual sequelae of stenting or embolization.nnnCONCLUSIONnManagement of carotid blow syndrome is very critical and difficult. A multidisciplinary approach is very important in the management of carotid blow syndrome. Correct and suitable management can be life saving. An endovascular technique is a good and effective alternative with much lower morbidity rates than surgical repair or ligation.

Cetuximab in the treatment of head and neck cancer: preliminary results outside clinical trials

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy in our daily practice, outside clinical trials, of cetuximab plus radiotherapy in a majority of treatment-naive patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Methods: A retrospective study was performed to evaluate outcomes in patients who were treated definitively with cetuximab and radiotherapy (ExRT). Patients with stage III or IV, nonmetastatic, measurable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) were eligible. Results: There were 18 males and two females. The median age was 61 years (range from 49 to 87 years old). Concurrent radiotherapy and cetuximab was used, in first line, in 17 patients with locally advanced disease; two patients with recurrent SCCHN, who were intolerant of Cisplatin-based regimens, were treated with radiotherapy combined with weekly cetuximab; and 1 patient received cetuximab and radiotherapy postoperatively. The median time of response was 10 months (range from 2 to 24 months). A partial response was observed in 11 cases; a complete response in nine cases. The occurrence of grade 2–3 skin toxicity was observed in 11 cases. Skin toxicity was clearly correlated with a better response and the duration of the response to the treatment. The use of cetuximab in combination with radiotherapy does not increase the side effects of radiotherapy. At the end of the follow-up, 17 patients died. Conclusion: Cetuximab, with its highly targeted mechanism of action and synergistic activity with current treatment modalities, is a valuable treatment option in head and neck patients. The effect of the epidermal growth factor receptor antagonist occurs without any change in the pattern and the severity of toxicity usually associated with head and neck radiation. Cetuximab seems not to provide the most benefit for patients with oropharyngeal cancers but will in patients with T4 tumors. However, the median duration of local control was less as described in the clinical trials.

The role of EGFR-targeting strategies in the treatment of head and neck cancer.

With its targeted mechanism of action and synergistic activity with current treatment modalities, cetuximab is a potentially valuable treatment option for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck who have progressed on cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The use of cetuximab in combination with radiotherapy as definitive treatment for locoregionally advanced squamous cell cancer of the head and neck is generally restricted to patients unfit to receive cisplatin-based chemoradiation, which is still considered the standard of care. The effect of this epidermal growth factor receptor antagonist occurs without any change in the pattern and the severity of toxicity usually associated with head and neck radiation.

The Role of Thyroidectomy in Advanced Laryngeal and Pharyngolaryngeal Carcinoma

Total thyroidectomy or hemithyroidectomy together with a total laryngectomy (TL) or pharyngo laryngectomy (TPL) for (pharyngo) laryngeal cancer often renders the patient hypothyroid and commits them to life-long thyroid hormone replacement. To determine the incidence of thyroid gland invasion (TG) in patients undergoing TL or TPL with total thyroidectomy (TThy) or lobectomy (HThy) for advanced laryngeal or hypo pharyngeal cancer and to assess predicative factors. Retrospective analysis of 35 patients from 2007 to 2010. Specimens were examined to determine the incidence of TG invasion and relevant predicative factors such as histological grade and subglottic extension. Pre-operative imaging was reviewed to assess for radiological evidence of TG invasion. TL and TThy was performed in 13 patients. TL and HThy was performed in four patients and TPL and TThy was performed in 18 patients. Surgery was performed for primary and recurrent cancer in 29 and six patients, respectively. Histological evidence of invasion of the TG was found in three patients. Relationship was found between TG invasion and subsite of primary carcinoma and the presence of subglottic extension. No relationship was found between TG invasion and patient’s sex, stage of primary disease at surgery, degree of differentiation. In addition, no significant relationship was found between the presence of TG invasion and recurrent disease. Invasion of the TG in patients undergoing a TL or TPL is a rare event and limits the need for a TTHy in most cases.

Usefulness of neuromonitoring in thyroid surgery

One of the most important complications during thyroid surgery is injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) which leads to dysfunction and palsy of the vocal folds. Adequate knowledge about the location of the RLN supported by neuromonitoring can help the operating surgeon to prevent this complication. Visualization of the nerve alone seems not enough. An estimation of the function of the RLN is very important. Recently, the use of neuromonitoring has been increasingly employed to predict and document nerve function at the end of thyroidectomy. The aim of the study was to verify the usefulness of neuromonitoring in identifying the recurrent laryngeal nerve and to predict postoperative outcome in patients undergoing thyroid surgery for different indications. Between March 2009 and October 2010, 91 patients (26 men, 65 women; mean age 53 (range 26–83) underwent thyroidectomy. Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) was registered for 91 patients. Eighty-four total thyroidectomies and seven lobectomies were performed with IONM. Eight unilateral postoperative transient paresis were identified without any permanent paralysis. Intraoperative neuromonitoring has an excellent specificity and negative predictive value in which an unchanged positive signal is highly predictive of intact nerve function. Intraoperative neuromonitoring during thyroid surgery is a reliable tool for early recurrent laryngeal nerve localization and identification, certainly in complicated thyroid operations. The probability is high for correctly predicting an intact postoperative nerve function by neuromonitoring.

Thyroid surgery with a harmonic scalpel: an experimental study

Background The goal of the study was to determinate the safety of the harmonic scalpel, widely used in thyroidectomy, near the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN). Methods The study involved ten pigs of either sex. Twenty RLNs at risk were dissected using the new harmonic scalpel FOCUS. The distances between the nerve and the activated instrument were checked with a millimeter ruler. After dissection, the pigs were euthanized, and both RLNs were fixed in formol and examined by histology after staining with hematoxylin–eosin. Due to technical reasons, only 18 RLNs from the ten pigs could be examined. Results In the experiment that investigated the extent of heat injury, ultrasonic dissection did not cause any immediate damage of the nerve even close to the RLN (1 mm away from the RLN). Conclusion The use of harmonic scalpel FOCUS for thyroid surgery is safe for the surrounding structures (nerves). Careful tissue applications of the device near the RLN (1 mm) did not cause any lesion histologically.

Neck and mediastinal node dissection in pharyngolaryngeal tumors.

INTRODUCTIONnThe present study sought to determine the necessity and prognostic impact of superior mediastinum (SM) dissection in advanced upper aerodigestive tract squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).nnnMETHODSnA retrospective review was made of the records of 31 patients who had undergone (pharyngo-) laryngectomy for advanced SCC. Statistical analysis examined correlations between the presence of SM lymph node metastasis and clinical factors, with a significance threshold of P<0.05.nnnRESULTSnPositive cervical and/or SM lymph nodes were found in 20 cases, including six with isolated positive SM nodes. Positive SM nodes were found in none of the patients with laryngeal SCC, versus six of the 13 patients with hypopharyngeal SCC, where they were associated with tumors greater than 35 mm. Presence of paratracheal lymph node metastasis showed a strong but not statistically significant association with the primary site (larynx vs. hypopharynx: P=0.08).nnnCONCLUSIONSnIn the present series, advanced laryngeal carcinoma was never associated with positive SM nodes, whereas advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma showed a trend in favor of paratracheal lymph node involvement.