O. Elbrønd

Case-control study of squamous cell cancer of the oral cavity in Denmark

A population-based case-control study was designed to examine if the risk of developing intra-oral squamous-cell carcinoma in Denmark was associated with occupation, marital status, residence, dental status, and exposure to coffee, tea, tobacco, and alcohol. Cases consisted of 161 consecutively-admitted incident patients with histologically verified, primary, intra-oral squamous-cell carcinoma treated at the Aarhus University Hospital from January 1986 to November 1990. For each case, three controls of the same gender and age were selected randomly from among nonhospitalized residents in the hospitals catchment area (some 1.4 m inhabitants). Four hundred of the selected 483 controls participated in the study. Risk was associated significantly with marital status, residence, dental status, alcohol consumption, and exposure to tobacco. When correcting for tobacco and alcohol consumption, only marital status and dental status remained significant. The association between risk and marital status was particularly prominent among divorced compared with married persons (odds ratio [OR]=2.3, 95 percent confidence interval [CI]=1.1–4.6). Persons with less than five teeth had an OR of 2.4 (CI 1.3–4.1) compared with persons with 15 or more teeth. Tobacco and alcohol exposure were the strongest individual risk-indicators in both lifetime and current consumption estimates, and their composite effect was particularly strong. Compared with nonusers, OR for tobacco (> 20 g/d) adjusted for alcohol =5.8 (CI=3.1–10.9); OR for alcohol (> 5 drinks/d) adjusted for tobacco = 8.4 (CI=4.0–17.6). The OR for heavy users of tobacco and alcohol (> 20 g tobacco/d and > 5 drinks/d) was 80.7 (CI=21.8–298.8). These results confirm that tobacco and alcohol contribute significantly to the risk of developing oral cancer. There were no significant differences between the risk estimates for the two genders or young and old persons. Two simulation studies indicate that the observed risk associated with tobacco and alcohol consumption cannot be explained reasonably by a high consumption among the 83 nonrespondents.

Cancer of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. A clinico-pathological study of 277 patients.

In the period 1963-1991, a total of 277 consecutive patients with malignant tumours of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses were treated at Aarhus University Hospital. The major histological types included squamous cell carcinoma (46%), lymphoma (14%), adenocarcinoma (13%), and malignant melanoma (9%). Kaplan-Meier estimates of 5-year corrected survival (death from cancer) showed the best prognosis for adenoid cystic carcinoma (87%), adenocarcinoma (65%) and lymphoma (56%), and the poorest prognosis for undifferentiated carcinoma (17%) and malignant melanoma (24%). The 5-year corrected survival for squamous cell carcinoma was 35%. Of the 180 patients with treatment failure, the vast majority occurred locally (n = 166); a minor proportion was regional (n = 23) or distant (n = 30). For the 195 patients with carcinoma, the following parameters were of statistical prognostic significance (5-year corrected survival): histological differentiation (moderate-well 65% vs. poor 22%), primary T-site (nasal cavity 56% vs. maxillary antrum 39% vs. other sinuses 24%), tumour stage (T2 68% vs. T3 37% vs. T4 29%), nodal stage (N0 48% vs. N1-3 21%), treatment (radiotherapy + surgery 56% vs. radiation alone 35%).

Sensori-neural hearing loss in patients treated with irradiation for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The present investigation has been carried out to evaluate the sensitivity of the inner ear to irradiation. Cochlear function was tested in a cohort of 22 patients before and 7-84 months after receiving external irradiation for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The pre-irradiation sensori-neural hearing threshold at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz was used as a baseline for the individual patient, and the observed sensori-neural hearing loss (SNHL) was calculated as the difference between pre- and post-irradiation values. The pre-irradiation hearing level or patient age was not correlated with the actual SNHL. In contrast, there was a significant correlation between the total radiation dose to the inner ear and the observed hearing impairment. SNHL was most pronounced in the high frequencies, with values up to 35 dB (4000 Hz) and 25 dB (2000 Hz) in some patients. The latent period for the complication appeared to be 12 months or more. The deleterious effect of irradiation on the hearing should be kept in mind both in treatment planning and in the follow-up after radiotherapy.

Malignant parotid tumors in 110 consecutive patients: Treatment results and prognosis

The UICC 1987 classification system was used to retrospectively analyze the treatment results and prognostic factors in 110 consecutive patients. All of the patients had malignant parotid tumors which had been diagnosed and treated during the period from 1970 to 1986. Treatment consisted of surgery, radiotherapy, or a combination. Malignant mixed tumors were seen in 28% of the patients, mucoepidermoid tumors in 18%, adenoid cystic tumors in 15%, acinic tumors in 13%, undifferentiated tumors in 11%, adenocarcinomas in 10%, and other types in 5%. Ten‐year corrected survival rate was 52%, and significant differences of survival were found between: 1. patients with disease stages I through IV (I: 85%; II: 69%; III: 43%; IV: 14%); 2. those with local tumor extension (34%) and without local tumor extension (79%); 3. patients with facial nerve palsy (0%) and without facial nerve palsy (57%); and 4. those with low‐ or intermediate‐grade malignant tumors (69% combined) and those with high‐grade malignant tumors (30%). After primary treatment, 45% of the patients were cured, and, additionally, 22% were salvaged after local or neck node recurrences.

Lack of effects of human calcitonin in osteogenesis imperfecta

The effects of human calcitonin on bone mineral content and certain biochemical markers of bone metabolism were evaluated in a 2-12 month treatment period in seven patients with osteogenesis imperfecta. S-calcium, S-alkaline phosphatase, S-immuno-reactive parathyroid hormone and the urinary excretion of calcium were found to be within the normal range before and during the treatment period. After 4-5 months of therapy, a slight increase in the urinary excretion of hydroxyproline was observed, but the values were still within the normal range. The bone mineral content, measured in the forearm, remained unchanged during the treatment period. Side effects were common, in two cases resulting in discontinuation of the treatment. We concluded that, with the dose of human calcitonin used, it was impossible to detect any beneficial effect in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Histopathology of the stapes in osteogenesis imperfecta

Conventional histological studies of stapes footplates from patients with osteogenesis imperfecta revealed, in nine out of 15 stapes examined, an otospongiotic-like lesion. Although the morphology of the stapedial lesion was comparable to the early otosclerotic focus, a greater structural disorganization and larger resorption spaces in osteogenesis imperfecta distinguished the two conditions. The histopathology of the stapes was related to the morphology of cortical and trabecular bone from the iliac crest. Various degrees of immature, osteogenic bony tissue were found in the iliac crest, showing no resemblance to the otospongiotic-like focus in the footplate. Even though the histologic appearance of the stapes footplates differed from the findings in peripheral bone, the present study indicates that the stapedial lesion in osteogenesis imperfecta is most likely a manifestation of the generalized bone and connective tissue disorder. The study further supports the view that osteogenesis imperfecta and otosclerosis are of different aetiology.

HLA-A, -B, -C antigens in otosclerosis

One hundred unrelated, randomly chosen, consecutive patients with otosclerosis, verified by operation, were typed for HLA-A, -B, -C antigens. No significant association between HLA-A, -B, -C antigens and otosclerosis was found.

Histological investigation of skin biopsies in otosclerosis and osteogenesis imperfecta

SummaryHistological investigation of skin biopsies in four patients with osteogenesis imperfecta, nine patients with Otosclerosis and 13 sex- and age-matched normal controls was carried out blindly. The dermal thickness was markedly reduced in osteogenesis imperfecta and slightly reduced in otosclerosis. Minor degenerative changes in the elastic fibres were seen in otosclerosis, while the elastic fibres were found to be more degenerated and more numerous in osteogenesis imperfecta.Our study does not support the hypothesis of otosclerosis being a localized form of osteogenesis imperfecta. The minor changes in the elastic fibres in otosclerosis indicate that further studies of the elastic fibres and of collagen will be necessary to determine whether otosclerosis is a localized disease or part of a general connective tissue disorder.

Surgical findings and results of stapedectomy in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta

Nine patients with osteogenesis imperfecta tarda and stapedial fixation (12 ears) are presented. Surgical findings as well as the immediate and long-term results of stapedectomy are described and compared with the results of previous authors. We found firmly fixed footplates in all 12 ears. Only 2 ears had thick and soft footplates. In 10 ears the stapes crura were abnormally slender and brittle, but only 1 had fractured. In 4 ears a troublesome bleeding tendency occurred during the operation. Both the immediate and the long-term hearing results were in general satisfactory.

Isolated Fractures Of The Stapedial Arch

The most frequent traumatic lesion in the middle ear is the luxation of the incus, which is seen in the three-quarters of all cases. The isolated fracture of the stapedial crura accounts for the majority of the remaining cases and contains interesting aetiological, diagnostic and technical operative problems.