Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Cancer Cell Int 2021 Apr 17;21(1):224. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfeng Road East, Guangzhou, 510060, China.

Objectives: We aimed to understand the clinical characteristics and better predict the prognosis of patients with mucosal melanoma of the head and neck (MMHN) using a nomogram.

Methods: Three hundred patients with nometastatic MMHN were included. Multivariable Cox regression was performed to analyze independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and locoregional relapse-free survival (LRRFS), and these factors were used to develop a nomogram. Read More

Laryngoscope 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A.

Objectives: Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is an aggressive cancer usually managed with surgical resection. This study evaluates the impact of treatment modality and positive surgical margin (PSM) on survival following resection of SNMM.

Study Design: Retrospective study of a national cancer registry. Read More

Laryngoscope 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Objectives/hypothesis: The ideal strategy in the treatment of mucosal melanoma of the head and neck (MMHN) remains unclear. Our objective was to evaluate the importance of surgical margins, radiotherapy, and systemic therapy in MMHN.

Study Design: Retrospective Single Institutional Review. Read More

Wien Klin Wochenschr 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 26, 8036, Graz, Austria.

Background: Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is a rare disease entity comprising 0.4-1.3% of all melanomas. Read More

Ann Transl Med 2021 Mar;9(5):391

Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangzhou, China.

Background: Head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM) is defined as a rare malignant tumor derived from melanocytes. There is no consensus regarding the treatment protocol for HNMM in elderly patients.

Methods: The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was used to identify elderly patients diagnosed with HNMM from 1975 to 2016. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 03 24;18(7). Epub 2021 Mar 24.

School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20100 Milano, Italy.

Mucosal melanomas of the head and neck region are uncommon pathologies that can affect the oral cavity, and are characterized by a high rate of mortality. Considering the lack of knowledge regarding risk and prognostic factors, current best clinical practice is represented by a large surgical excision with disease-free margins, eventually associated with a reconstructive flap. Indeed, given the frequent necessity of postoperative radiotherapy and fast healing process, a reconstruction of the surgical gap is advisable. Read More

J Oral Pathol Med 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Department of Stomatology, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.

Background: Recent high-throughput sequencing studies have revealed frequent CDK4 and TERT amplification in mucosal melanoma, suggesting that they are potential therapeutic targets. In this study, we investigated the statuses of CDK4 and TERT in head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM) with the aim of providing preclinical data to support future clinical trials.

Methods: In total, 29 HNMM samples were collected, including 16 oral mucosal melanoma (OMM) samples and 13 nasal cavity/sinuses melanoma (SNMM) samples. Read More

Head Neck 2021 Mar 30. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Department of Head & Neck Surgery, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France.

Background: The prognostic significance of nodal involvement is not well established in head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM).

Methods: A retrospective, monocentric study was performed on 96 patients with HNMM treated between 2000 and 2017.

Results: At diagnosis, seventeen patients (17. Read More

Gulf J Oncolog 2021 Jan;1(35):92-95

Dept. of Pathology, Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry.

Malignant mucosal melanoma (MM) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm, which behaves differently from its cutaneous counterpart. MM of head and neck account for 55.4%, genital tracts - 18%, ano-rectal - 23. Read More

J Cutan Pathol 2021 Mar 10. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

Pathology Service, Dermatopathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Melanosis, clinically presenting as a benign macular hyperpigmentation, consists of increased pigmentation (melanotic or melanocytic) either in the mucosal epithelial cells or as subepithelial pigment-laden macrophages. On the other hand, primary sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is a rare disease with poor prognosis and high rates of local recurrence and metastasis. We report follow-up on a previously presented case of a 53-year-old man with recurrent clinical melanosis that progressed from histopathological melanocytic hyperplasia to melanoma in situ over a period of 4. Read More

Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol 2021 Feb 16;6(1):109-115. Epub 2020 Dec 16.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA.

Importance: While regression is a commonly reported microscopic feature of melanoma, its prognostic significance is unclear.

Objective: To examine the impact of regression on sentinel node status and the likelihood of recurrence in primary cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck.

Design: Retrospective analysis of 191 adults who underwent surgical management for primary cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck between May 2002 and March 2019. Read More

Cancer 2021 Jun 17;127(11):1796-1804. Epub 2021 Feb 17.

Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are increasingly accepted as a treatment option for several cancers. Although various systemic immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have been characterized, the effect of ICIs on the oral cavity and contiguous structures is still poorly understood.

Methods: Electronic medical records of 4683 patients in the Mass General Brigham Registered Patient Data Registry who received ICI therapy (ICIT) between December 2011 and September 2019 were reviewed. Read More

Front Surg 2020 20;7:616174. Epub 2021 Jan 20.

ENT Department, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Head and Neck Mucosal Melanoma (HNMM) is an uncommon malignancy that arises in decreasing order in the nasal cavity, the paranasal sinuses, and the oral cavity. Although radical surgery followed by eventual radiotherapy is acknowledged as the mainstay treatment, patients with advanced stages or multi-focal tumors benefit from new systemic therapies. We wish to share our experience with these treatments and review the current literature. Read More

J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2021 Jan 1;14(1):27-29. Epub 2021 Jan 1.

All authors are with Largo Medical Center in Largo, Florida.

Primary mucosal melanomas are rare neoplasms that occur in the mouth, esophagus, nasopharynx, larynx, and anogenital mucosa. Mucosal melanomas are rare, accounting for approximately one percent of all melanomas. Of the mucosal melanomas that occur in the head and neck, oral mucosal melanomas compose approximately 25 percent. Read More

Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2021 Feb 18;62:182-185. Epub 2021 Jan 18.

Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hassan II University of Casablanca, B.P 5696, Casablanca, Morocco.

Melanoma of the mouth is a rare entity of cancer. It has a bad prognosis. We report two cases of mouth melanoma. Read More

Ann Surg Oncol 2021 Jun 2;28(6):3092-3099. Epub 2021 Jan 2.

Institute of Academic Surgery at RPA Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Background: The vermilion lip is a unique anatomical junction between cutaneous and mucosal surfaces. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the vermilion lip (vlSCC) was previously classified as oral SCC (oSCC) under the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 7th edition (AJCC7), but has been recategorized as a cutaneous SCC of the head and neck (HNcSCC) in the AJCC 8th edition (AJCC8). We investigated the locoregional control (LRC), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) for the various pathological T categories and disease stages of vlSCC as per AJCC8. Read More

Int J Surg Case Rep 2021 Jan 16;78:228-234. Epub 2020 Dec 16.

Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Casablanca University Hospital, Casablanca, Morocco.

Introduction: Cancer of the hard palate is a fairly rare malignant tumor. Different histological types have been described in the hard palate, and that can affect its different structures. Diagnosis is based on biopsy with histological examination and possibly on immunohistochemical markers to confirm the diagnosis and exclude other diagnostic hypotheses. Read More

J Control Release 2021 Feb 20;330:427-437. Epub 2020 Dec 20.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 7-105 Hasselmo Hall, 312 Church Street S. E., Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. Electronic address:

The objective of this study is to develop a simple biopolymer platform of mucoadhesive wafers that enables effective sublingual delivery and preservation of protein vaccines. The wafers were composed of a series of binary polymer blends of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and alginate (ALG). Varying the ratio between CMC and ALG resulted in wafers with different microstructure, mechanical properties, disintegration time, and release kinetics of model compounds. Read More

Science 2021 02 10;371(6529):602-609. Epub 2020 Dec 10.

Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar Ilan University, Safed, Israel.

The gut microbiome has been shown to influence the response of tumors to anti-PD-1 (programmed cell death-1) immunotherapy in preclinical mouse models and observational patient cohorts. However, modulation of gut microbiota in cancer patients has not been investigated in clinical trials. In this study, we performed a phase 1 clinical trial to assess the safety and feasibility of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and reinduction of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in 10 patients with anti-PD-1-refractory metastatic melanoma. Read More

Melanoma Res 2020 12;30(6):533-542

Eye Pathology Section, Department of Pathology.

Herein, we wanted to explore the molecular landscape of mucosal melanoma from different sites and identify potential molecular targets for future therapy. Mucosal melanomas (N = 40) from different sites (conjunctiva, sinonasal cavity, rectum, and vagina) were investigated. Targeted next-generation sequencing along with Nanostring gene expression profiling was performed. Read More

Head Neck 2021 Feb 5;43(2):705-715. Epub 2020 Nov 5.

Otorhinolaryngology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Via Manzoni 56, Rozzano (MI), Italy.

Purpose: To systematically analyze the regional disease control after sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) primary treatment.

Methods: The study was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines searching on Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases.

Results: A total of 15 studies with 936 patients (median age: 68. Read More

J Int Med Res 2020 Oct;48(10):300060520963005

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Mucosal melanoma of the eustachian tube is a rare and highly malignant tumour. Local radical resection combined with radiotherapy and systemic chemotherapy is a classic treatment strategy for this tumour. The internal carotid artery (ICA) is easily damaged when this tumour is removed. Read More

Ear Nose Throat J 2020 Oct 6:145561320963566. Epub 2020 Oct 6.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Malignant sinonasal mucosal melanoma is a rare and aggressive neoplasm. As it shows nonspecific clinical symptoms, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most effective diagnostic tool. Before a mass is histopathologically confirmed, MRI is regarded as the optimal differential diagnostic procedure, especially in patients who present with a unilateral sinonasal cavity mass. Read More

Ann Transl Med 2020 Aug;8(16):1022

Ear Institute, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Background: Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis. This study aimed to assess the clinical and imaging features, progression, treatment, and possible prognostic factors of SNMM.

Methods: Thirty-six patients with SNMM were retrospectively reviewed in the Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery of Xinhua Hospital from January 2008 to December 2017. Read More

Head Neck 2021 Jan 14;43(1):323-333. Epub 2020 Sep 14.

School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.

Introduction: Mucosal melanoma (MM) is a rare condition with a poor prognosis. Surgery is the corner stone of treatment, however, radiotherapy has been commonly employed as a treatment strategy and recent studies suggesting that survival outcomes may be improving are emerging.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing risk ratios of radiotherapy and surgery and radiotherapy (SRT) with surgery for 5-year overall survival, local recurrence and distant metastasis in head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM). Read More

Front Oncol 2020 7;10:1402. Epub 2020 Aug 7.

Service de Neurochirurgie, Département des Neurosciences Cliniques, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland.

Tumors originating from the craniofacial region usually present in a locally advanced stage with frequent involvement of adjacent sites and have a strong tendency for local recurrence in the absence of adjuvant therapy, even when the original surgical resection was presumed to be radical. In the past decades, several advances in the radiological diagnosis and treatment of craniofacial malignancies have been introduced. There are, however, no randomized trials that define the optimal multimodal treatment of these tumors because of their rarity as well as heterogeneity in both histology and site of origin. Read More

Eur J Cancer 2020 10 20;138:11-18. Epub 2020 Aug 20.

Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.

The United Kingdom head and neck mucosal melanoma guideline development group used an evidence-based systematic approach to make recommendations in key areas of uncertainty in the field, including accurate diagnosis and staging; the appropriate treatment pathway including surgery, adjuvant radiation and new systemic treatments, such as targeted agents and immunotherapy; and the surveillance of patients after treatment. The guidelines were sent for international peer review and have been accredited by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. A summary of key recommendations is presented. Read More

Lin Chung Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi 2020 Jul;34(7):647-651

Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery，the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College，Hainan，570100，China.

To analysis the clinical and histopathological features, and the effect of surgical treatment and adjuvant therapy for the survival in patients of head and neck mucosal melanoma（HNMM）. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 46 patients with HNMM, and the factors related to survival were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for survival analysis. Read More

Cureus 2020 Jul 30;12(7):e9483. Epub 2020 Jul 30.

Oncology, State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA.

Mucosal melanoma is a rare variant of melanoma representing around 1% of total cases of melanoma diagnosed. The usual sites of mucosal involvement are the sino-nasal passages, the oral cavity, and less commonly the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It also has been reported to occur in vulvovaginal and anorectal mucosa. Read More

Head Neck 2020 11 1;42(11):3316-3325. Epub 2020 Aug 1.

Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.

Background: Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is an aggressive cancer with high mortality. Identifying patients at risk of distant metastasis assists with management and prognostication. We aimed to define the relationship between volume, survival, and risk of distant metastases. Read More