Vinidh Paleri

Prevalence of human papillomavirus in oropharyngeal and nonoropharyngeal head and neck cancer--systematic review and meta-analysis of trends by time and region.

Little information has been reported on regional and time trends of human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence rates of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) and non‐OPC.

Head and neck cancer—Part 1: Epidemiology, presentation, and prevention

#### Summary points Head and neck cancers include cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (including the oral cavity, nasopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx), the paranasal sinuses, and the salivary glands. Cancers at different sites have different courses and variable histopathological types, although squamous cell carcinoma is by far the most common. The anatomical sites affected are important for functions such as speech, swallowing, taste, and smell, so the cancers and their treatments may have considerable functional sequelae with subsequent impairment of quality of life. Decisions about treatment are usually complex, and they must balance efficacy of treatment and likelihood of survival, with potential functional and quality of life outcomes. Patients and their carers need considerable support during and after treatment. #### Sources and selection criteria We used the terms “head and neck”, “larynx”, “oral”, and “oropharynx”—with each limited by “cancer”, “diagnosis”, and “treatment” separately—to search the Medline, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL, and AMED databases. We also used them to cross check national guidelines, reference lists, textbooks, and personal reference lists. We assessed over 1000 identified abstracts for relevance. In this first part of a two article series, we review the common presentations of head and neck cancer. We also discuss common investigations and new …

Sentinel node biopsy in squamous cell cancer of the oral cavity and oral pharynx: A diagnostic meta-analysis†

The sentinel node biopsy concept has been gaining support in the head and neck cancer literature during only the last few years, and several pilot studies have been published. This procedure aims to avoid unnecessary treatment to the clinically negative neck by identifying the patients with occult neck disease.

Comorbidity in head and neck cancer: A critical appraisal and recommendations for practice

Comorbidity, the presence of additional illnesses unrelated to the tumor, has a significant impact on the prognosis of patients with head and neck cancer. In these patients, tobacco and alcohol abuse contributes greatly to comorbidity. Several instruments have been used to quantify comorbidity including Adult Comorbidity Evaluation 27 (ACE 27), Charlson Index (CI) and Cumulative Illness Rating Scale. The ACE 27 and CI are the most frequently used indices. Information on comorbidity at the time of diagnosis can be abstracted from patient records. Self-reporting is less reliable than record review. Functional status is not a reliable substitute for comorbidity evaluation as a prognostic measure. Severity as well as the presence of a condition is required for a good predictive instrument. Comorbidity increases mortality in patients with head and neck cancer, and this effect is greater in the early years following treatment. In addition to reducing overall survival, many studies have shown that comorbidity influences disease-specific survival negatively, most likely because patients with high comorbidity tend to have delay in diagnosis, often presenting with advanced stage tumors, and the comorbidity may also prompt less aggressive treatment. The impact of comorbidity on survival is greater in younger than in older patients, although it affects both. For specific tumor sites, comorbidity has been shown to negatively influence prognosis in oral, oropharyngeal, laryngeal and salivary gland tumors. Several studies have reported higher incidence and increased severity of treatment complications in patients with high comorbidity burden. Studies have demonstrated a negative impact of comorbidity on quality of life, and increased cost of treatment with higher degree of comorbidity. Our review of the literature suggests that routine collection of comorbidity data will be important in the analysis of survival, quality of life and functional outcomes after treatment as comorbidity has an impact on all of the above. These data should be integrated with tumor-specific staging systems in order to develop better instruments for prognostication, as well as comparing results of different treatment regimens and institutions.

Contemporary management of lymph node metastases from an unknown primary to the neck: I. A review of diagnostic approaches

In an era of advanced diagnostics, metastasis to cervical lymph nodes from an occult primary tumor is a rare clinical entity and accounts for approximately 3% of head and neck malignancies. Histologically, two thirds of cases are squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), with other tissue types less common in the neck. With modern imaging and tissue examinations, a primary tumor initially undetected on physical examination is revealed in >50% of patients and the site of the index primary can be predicted with a high level of probability. In the present review, the range and limitations of diagnostic procedures are summarized and the optimal diagnostic workup is proposed. Initial preferred diagnostic procedures are a fine‐needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and imaging. This allows directed surgical biopsy (such as tonsillectomy), based on the preliminary findings, and prevents misinterpretation of postsurgical images. When no primary lesion is suggested after imaging and panendoscopy, and for patients without a history of smoking and alcohol abuse, molecular profiling of an FNAB sample for human papillomavirus (HPV) and/or Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is important. Head Neck, 2013

Jugular phlebectasia: theory of pathogenesis and review of literature

Jugular phlebectasia is an entity that is being increasingly recognised in recent years. The term phlebectasia indicates dilatation of the vein without tortuosity. It has been described in almost all cervical veins. Internal jugular phlebectasia is seen more often on the right side. This paper reports two new cases, reviews all cases of internal jugular phlebectasia in children published in English literature upto 1996 and recommends diagnostic methods and treatment policy. This article also discusses a theory of pathogenesis for this condition based on the regional anatomical features, principles of vascular physics and pathologic findings.

Strategies to reduce long-term postchemoradiation dysphagia in patients with head and neck cancer: An evidence-based review

Swallowing dysfunction following chemoradiation for head and neck cancer is a major cause of morbidity and reduced quality of life. This review discusses 3 strategies that may improve posttreatment swallowing function.

Head and neck cancer--Part 2: Treatment and prognostic factors.

#### Summary points In this second of a two part series, we discuss recent advances in the management of cancers of the head and neck. We also discuss the important prognostic factors, including the importance of human papillomavirus (HPV) positivity in the newly discovered HPV related cancers of the head and neck. As before, we have used evidence from national guidelines, randomised trials, and level II-III studies. We have also limited our discussions to squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, which constitutes more than 85% of head and neck cancers. #### Sources and selection criteria We used the terms “head and neck”, “larynx”, “oral”, and “oropharynx”—with each limited by “cancer”, “diagnosis”, and “treatment” separately—to search the Medline, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL, and AMED databases. We also used them to cross check national guidelines, reference lists, textbooks, and personal reference lists. We assessed over 1000 identified abstracts for relevance. ### Site and TNM stage The most important prognostic factors are site and TNM (tumour, node, metastasis) stage. The table⇓ details the survival rates of patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer at different sites. Patients with tumours that are larger and have spread to nodes and other tissues have poorer survival. Guidelines for head and neck carcinomas from the Royal College of Pathologists state that other accepted features related to clinical outcome are grade, pattern of invasion, …

Applicability of the adult comorbidity evaluation – 27 and the Charlson indexes to assess comorbidity by notes extraction in a cohort of United Kingdom patients with head and neck cancer: a retrospective study

The term comorbidity stands for disease processes that co-exist and are not related to the index disease being studied. Comorbidity in cancer has been shown to be a major determinant in treatment selection and survival. Patients with head and neck cancer can have significant comorbidity owing to the high incidence of tobacco and alcohol abuse. No studies to date have addressed this problem in head and neck cancer patients in the United Kingdom. The applicability of the adult comorbidity evaluation - 27 index (ACE-27) and the Charlson index (CI) to assess the comorbidity burden by retrospective notes review is studied here. Retrospective data collection and completion of a comorbidity index in a United Kingdom setting is feasible. We conclude that the pre-assessment visit is a useful time to record comorbidity and as a significant amount of information required for grading relates to historical items, this is best done using a self-administered patient questionnaire.

Contemporary management of lymph node metastases from an unknown primary to the neck: II. a review of therapeutic options.

Although uncommon, cancer of an unknown primary (CUP) metastatic to cervical lymph nodes poses a range of dilemmas relating to optimal treatment. The ideal resolution would be a properly designed prospective randomized trial, but it is unlikely that this will ever be conducted in this group of patients. Accordingly, knowledge gained from retrospective studies and experience from treating patients with known head and neck primary tumors form the basis of therapeutic strategies in CUP. This review provides a critical appraisal of various treatment approaches described in the literature. Emerging treatment options for CUP with metastases to cervical lymph nodes are discussed in view of recent innovations in the field of head and neck oncology and suitable therapeutic strategies for particular clinical scenarios are presented. For pN1 or cN1 disease without extracapsular extension (ECE), selective neck dissection or radiotherapy offer high rates of regional control. For more advanced neck disease, intensive combined treatment is required, either a combination of neck dissection and radiotherapy, or initial (chemo)radiotherapy followed by neck dissection if a complete response is not recorded on imaging. Each of these approaches seems to be equally effective. Use of extensive bilateral neck/mucosal irradiation must be weighed against toxicity, availability of close follow‐up with elective neck imaging and guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) when appropriate, the human papillomavirus (HPV) status of the tumor, and particularly against the distribution pattern (oropharynx in the majority of cases) and the emergence rate of hidden primary lesions (<10% after comprehensive workup). The addition of systemic agents is expected to yield similar improvement in outcome as has been observed for known head and neck primary tumors. Head Neck, 2013