William R. Carroll

Robot-Assisted Surgery for Upper Aerodigestive Tract Neoplasms

OBJECTIVES To assess the feasibility and safety of performing robot-assisted resections of head and neck tumors, and to predict which variables lead to successful robot-assisted resection and better functional outcome. DESIGN Prospective nonrandomized clinical trial. SETTING Academic tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Thirty-six patients with oral cavity, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, or laryngeal tumors. INTERVENTION Robot-assisted resection of indicated tumors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Ability to perform robot-assisted resection, final pathologic margin status, ability to extubate postoperatively, need for tracheotomy tube, and need for gastrostomy tube. Any clinically significant complications were recorded. RESULTS Thirty-six patients participated in the study. Eight patients had previously been treated for head and neck cancer. Twenty-nine patients (81%) underwent successful robotic resection. Negative margins were obtained in all 29 patients. Twenty-one of 29 patients were safely extubated prior to leaving the operating room. One patient required short-term tracheotomy tube placement. A total of 9 patients were gastrostomy tube dependent (2 preoperatively, 7 postoperatively). Factors associated with successful robotic resection were lower T classification (P = .01) and edentulism (P = .07). Factors associated with gastrostomy tube dependence were advanced age (P = .02), tumor location in the larynx (P < .001), higher T classification (P = .02), and lower preoperative M. D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory score (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS Robot-assisted surgery is feasible and safe for the resection of select head and neck tumors. This clinical series demonstrates that robotic surgery can be utilized successfully in patients with T1 to T4 lesions located in the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx with good preservation of swallow function.

Salvage Surgery for Recurrent Cancers of the Oropharynx Comparing TORS With Standard Open Surgical Approaches

IMPORTANCE Surgical salvage may be the only viable treatment option for recurrent tumors of the oropharynx. To our knowledge, there have been no published reports directly comparing the oncologic and functional outcomes of patients with recurrent oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) treated with transoral robotic-assisted surgery (TORS) with those treated with traditional open surgical approaches. OBJECTIVE To compare the oncologic and functional outcomes of patients with recurrent oropharyngeal SCC treated with TORS with those treated with traditional open surgical approaches. DESIGN Retrospective multi-institutional case-control study; study dates, March 2003 through October 2011. SETTING Four tertiary care institutions (University of Alabama at Birmingham; M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota; and Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan). PARTICIPANTS Sixty-four patients who underwent salvage TORS for recurrent oropharyngeal SCC were matched by TNM stage to 64 patients who underwent open salvage resection. INTERVENTION OR EXPOSURE: Salvage TORS for recurrent SCC of the oropharynx. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES Patient demographics, operative data, functional, and oncologic outcomes were recorded and compared with a similarly TNM-matched patient group that underwent salvage surgical resection by traditional open surgical approaches. RESULTS Patients treated with TORS were found to have a significantly lower incidence of tracheostomy use (n = 14 vs n = 50; P < .001), feeding tube use (n = 23 vs n = 48; P < .001), shorter overall hospital stays (3.8 days vs 8.0 days; P < .001), decreased operative time (111 minutes vs 350 minutes; P < .001), less blood loss (49 mL vs 331 mL; P < .001), and significantly decreased incidence of positive margins (n = 6 vs n = 19; P = .007). The 2-year recurrence-free survival rate was significantly higher in the TORS group than in the open approach group (74% and 43%, respectively) (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This study demonstrates that TORS offers an alternative surgical approach to recurrent tumors of the oropharynx with acceptable oncologic outcomes and better functional outcomes than traditional open surgical approaches. This adds to the growing amount of clinical evidence to support the use of TORS in selected patients with recurrent oropharyngeal SCC as a feasible and oncologically sound method of treatment.

The free scapular flap for head and neck reconstruction

The free scapular flap is a versatile flap for soft tissue and bony reconstruction of the head and neck. It has a very reliable blood supply and is easy to harvest. In this paper, we present our cumulative experience with the use of five cutaneous flaps and 31 osteocutaneous flaps.

Chemotherapy followed by accelerated fractionated radiation for larynx preservation in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer.

PURPOSE Larynx preservation in advanced, resectable laryngeal cancer may be achieved using induction chemotherapy (CT) followed in responding patients by definitive radiation (RT). To address potential accelerated repopulation of clonogenic tumor cells during the prolonged total treatment time, we studied the feasibility of accelerated fractionated RT after CT. METHODS Patients with advanced laryngeal cancer received two cycles of cisplatin 100 mg/m2 and fluorouracil (5-Fu) 1,000 mg/m2/d for 5 days. Responding patients received a third cycle after which those who had complete response or tumor down-staging to T1 proceeded with accelerated RT: 70.4 Gy delivered over 5.5 weeks. Patients who achieved a lesser response to CT underwent total laryngectomy and postoperative RT. RESULTS Thirty-three patients were accrued. Three died during the course of CT and two declined definitive treatment after CT. Twenty-one patients had a major response to CT, 20 of whom received accelerated RT. Median weight loss during RT was 11%. Late severe morbidity was observed in five patients (25%). All four patients who underwent salvage laryngectomy after accelerated RT experienced major postoperative complications. The locoregional failure rate was 25%. The larynx was preserved in 48% of the total study population and in 80% of the patients irradiated according to the study protocol. CONCLUSION Accelerated RT after CT as delivered in this study may increase both acute and long-term morbidity rates compared with studies using standard RT after CT. It did not seem to improve local/regional tumor control or survival despite stringent patient selection criteria.

Planned Early Neck Dissection Before Radiation for Persistent Neck Nodes After Induction Chemotherapy

Optimal management of advanced neck metastases as part of an organ preservation treatment approach for head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSC) is unclear. Since 1989, our management paradigm for patients on organ preservation was modified to incorporate planned early neck dissection before radiation therapy for patients who did not achieve a complete response (CR) of neck nodes after induction chemotherapy (IC). The purpose of this study was to determine if planned early neck dissection is a safe and effective approach in the management of advanced nodal disease as part of organ preservation. Fifty‐eight consecutive patients with advanced HNSC who were entered in organ preservation trials using induction chemotherapy and radiation with surgical salvage were studied. Median follow‐up was 26 months. Of the 58 patients, 71% were stage IV. Patients were grouped by nodal response to chemotherapy and N class, and were analyzed with respect to patterns of recurrence, complications, and survival. Overall, the rate of CR of neck nodes was 49%. Fifty‐one percent had less than a complete response of neck nodes after IC and required planned early neck dissection. There were no significant differences in patterns of recurrence, complications, interval time to start of radiation, recurrence, or survival rates between the CR and less than CR groups. These data suggest that planned early neck dissection for patients with less than CR in the neck after IC is not detrimental with respect to neck relapse or overall survival. We believe that planned early neck dissection can be safely incorporated into future organ preservation treatment protocols for patients with advanced head and neck carcinoma.

Ionized serum calcium levels following combined treatment for cancer of the head and neck

Thyroid function may be reduced after treatment of cancer of the head and neck, and hypothyroidism is much more common after combination therapy. Whether hypoparathyroidism and subsequent hypocalcemia also occur after such treatment is unknown. Few related studies have been published in which changes in total serum calcium have been studied after cancer treatment with radioactive iodine or external radiation. Twenty‐two disease‐free head and neck cancer patients were studied, 1 to 3 years after multimodal treatment, to determine if changes in serum ionized calcium levels or thyroid function were present. Our results suggest that parathyroid function, as represented by ionized calcium levels remains normal after multimodality (surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy) combined treatment.

A Prognosis System for Periimplant Diseases.

Introduction:Periimplant diseases have slowly become a common complication in implant patients. Here, we present a prognosis system to aid clinicians and researchers in the evaluation and treatment of periimplant diseases. This prognosis system divides periimplant disease into favorable, questionable, unfavorable, and hopeless cases based on the level of bone loss, pocket depth, mobility, bleeding on probing, and suppuration. Materials and Methods:To test the accuracy of our prognostic scale, the authors designed and conducted a database search to compile articles allowing for testing of the proposed prognostic scale. Discussion:The literature search returned 101 articles, of which two reported all relevant values for the prognostic system and were used to evaluate its reliability and accuracy. The prognostic system correctly predicted the likely outcome of periimplant disease up to 1 year posttreatment for all examined implants. Conclusions:The proposed prognostic system can be used as a tool for clinicians as they develop a treatment plan for all stages of periimplant disease.

Higher carbohydrate intake is associated with increased risk of all-cause and disease-specific mortality in head and neck cancer patients: Results from a prospective cohort study

No studies have evaluated associations between carbohydrate intake and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) prognosis. We prospectively examined associations between pre‐ and post‐treatment carbohydrate intake and recurrence, all‐cause mortality, and HNSCC‐specific mortality in a cohort of 414 newly diagnosed HNSCC patients. All participants completed pre‐ and post‐treatment Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs) and epidemiologic surveys. Recurrence and mortality events were collected annually. Multivariable Cox Proportional Hazards models tested associations between carbohydrate intake (categorized into low, medium and high intake) and time to recurrence and mortality, adjusting for relevant covariates. During the study period, there were 70 deaths and 72 recurrences. In pretreatment analyses, high intakes of total carbohydrate (HR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.23–4.25), total sugar (HR: 3.03; 95% CI: 1.12–3.68), glycemic load (HR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.15–3.83) and simple carbohydrates (HR 2.26; 95% CI 1.19–4.32) were associated with significantly increased risk of all‐cause mortality compared to low intake. High intakes of carbohydrate (HR 2.45; 95% CI: 1.23–4.25) and total sugar (HR 3.03; 95% CI 1.12–3.68) were associated with increased risk of HNSCC‐specific mortality. In post‐treatment analyses, medium fat intake was significantly associated with reduced risk of recurrence (HR 0.08; 95% CI 0.01–0.69) and all‐cause mortality (HR 0.27; 95% CI 0.07–0.96). Stratification by tumor site and cancer stage in pretreatment analyses suggested effect modification by these factors. Our data suggest high pretreatment carbohydrate intake may be associated with adverse prognosis in HNSCC patients. Clinical intervention trials to further examine this hypothesis are warranted.

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma for fluorescence-guided surgery(Conference Presentation)

During fluorescence-guided surgery, a cancer-specific optical probe is injected and visualized using a compatible device intraoperatively to provide visual contrast between diseased and normal tissues to maximize resection of cancer and minimize the resection of precious adjacent normal tissues. Six patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region (oral cavity (n=4) or cutaneous (n=2)) were injected with an EGFR-targeting antibody (Cetuximab) conjugated to a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent dye (IRDye800) 3, 4, or 7 days prior to surgical resection of the cancer. Each patient’s tumor was then imaged using a commercially available, open-field NIR fluorescence imaging device each day prior to surgery, intraoperatively, and post-operatively. The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of the tumor was calculated for each specimen at each imaging time point. Adjacent normal tissue served as an internal anatomic control for each patient to establish a patient-matched “background” fluorescence. Resected tissues were also imaged using a closed-field NIR imaging device. Tumor to background ratios (TBRs) were calculated for each patient using both devices. Fluorescence histology was correlated with traditional pathology assessment to verify the specificity of antibody-dye conjugate binding. Peak TBRs using the open-field device ranged from 2.2 to 11.3, with an average TBR of 4.9. Peak TBRs were achieved between days 1 and 4. This study demonstrated that a commercially available NIR imaging device suited for intraoperative and clinical use can successfully be used with a fluorescently-labeled dye to delineate between diseased and normal tissue in this single cohort human study, illuminated the potential for its use in fluoresence-guided surgery.