Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Cancers (Basel) 2021 May 31;13(11). Epub 2021 May 31.

Unit of Academic General Surgery "V. Bonomo", Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari, Polyclinic Hospital, 70124 Bari, Italy.

(1) Background: Lymph node metastases from papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) are frequent. Selective neck dissection (SND) is indicated in PTC with clinical or imaging evidence of lateral neck nodal disease. Both preoperative ultrasound (PreUS) and intraoperative palpation or visualization may underestimate actual lateral neck nodal involvement, particularly for lymph-nodes located behind the sternocleidomastoid muscle, where dissection may also potentially increase the risk of postoperative complications. Read More

Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2021 May 29. Epub 2021 May 29.

Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University Hospital of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.

Purpose: While [F]-fluorodeoxyglucose ([F]FDG) is the standard for positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), diagnostic specificity is hampered by uptake in inflammatory cells such as neutrophils or macrophages. Recently, molecular imaging probes targeting fibroblast activation protein α (FAP), which is overexpressed in a variety of cancer-associated fibroblasts, have become available and might constitute a feasible alternative to FDG PET/CT.

Methods: Ten consecutive, treatment-naïve patients (8 males, 2 females; mean age, 62 ± 9 years) with biopsy-proven OSCC underwent both whole-body [F]FDG and [Ga]FAPI-04 (FAP-directed) PET/CT for primary staging prior to tumor resection and cervical lymph node dissection. Read More

Diagn Interv Radiol 2021 May;27(3):323-328

Department of Surgery, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, Daegu, Republic of Korea.

Purpose: Neck ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT), and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) are all known to be useful imaging modalities for detecting supraclavicular lymph node (SCN) metastasis in breast cancer. The authors compared the diagnostic values of neck US, CT, and PET/CT in the detection of SCN metastasis in breast cancer.

Methods: SCN metastases identified in neck US, CT, or PET/CT during follow-up visits of patients with breast cancer were pathologically confirmed with the use of US-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology. Read More

Radiother Oncol 2021 May 1;160:192-201. Epub 2021 May 1.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; Heidelberg Institute of Radiation Oncology (HIRO), Heidelberg, Germany.

Background: Adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACCs) are rare epithelial tumors mostly situated in the head and neck region and characterized by infiltrative growth. The tumor stroma of ACCs includes cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) expressing Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP), a new target for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Here we describe the value of PET/ computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging using Ga-labelled FAP-Inhibitors (Ga-FAPI-PET/CT) and their clinical potential for staging and radiotherapy planning in 12 ACC patients (7 primary, 5 recurrent). Read More

J Clin Med 2021 Apr 13;10(8). Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain.

This study aimed to investigate the role of a panel of salivary cytokines as biomarkers for early detection oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), comparing their levels among healthy individuals, patients with oral leukoplakia (OL), and malignant lesions. Cytokine profiling analysis performed in a minimally invasive sample was correlated with clinicopathological variables in our patient cohorts. Unstimulated saliva was obtained from subjects with OSCC at early ( = 33) and advanced ( = 33) disease, OL with homogeneous ( = 33) and proliferative verrucous ( = 33) clinical presentations, and healthy controls ( = 25). Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Apr;100(16):e25496

Department of Oncology, Gong'an County People's Hospital, Gong'an, Hubei, China.

Abstract: Correct follow-up is necessary to avoid under- or overtreatment in the care of patients with treated carcinomas of head and neck. Ultrasound is a cost-effective, harmless, easy, and feasible method. It can be applied in the outpatient clinic in follow-up but the United Kingdom National Multidisciplinary guidelines are recommended computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of metastasis for head and neck carcinomas in the follow-up period. Read More

Eur J Radiol Open 2021 26;8:100339. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Department of Pathology, Maulana Azad Medical College & Associated Hospitals, New Delhi, Delhi, India.

Aim: The objective of the study was to assess the performance of CT Perfusion in comparison to CECT for preoperative detection of metastases to lymph nodes in squamous cell cancers of oral cavity.

Methods: Twenty-five patients with squamous cell cancers of oral cavity underwent CECT and CTP. Two radiologists evaluated CECT and CTP parameters independently. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Apr;100(15):e25529

Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Bichat.

Introduction: The most common malignancies metastasizing to the heart are cancers of the lung, breast, mesothelioma, melanoma, leukemia, and lymphoma. Cardiac metastasis from a tongue cancer is a rare finding and only a few cases have been reported previously in the literature. In this case report and literature review, we discuss the main clinical features of patients with cardiac metastases secondary to a tongue cancer and imaging modalities performed, especially the 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT). Read More

Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2021 Apr 1. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Department of Clinical Specialist and Dental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy; Dentistry Clinic, National Institute of Health and Science of Aging, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy.

Oral cancer is the most common malignancy of the head and neck region, characterized by a poor prognosis. Novel prognostic markers are needed to better stratify these patients. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) has been included in the eighth edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual as an additional prognostic factor, but its influence on the recurrence risk and lymph node metastasis is relatively understudied. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2021 Mar 29. Epub 2021 Mar 29.

Department of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Purpose: The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the accuracy of 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/MR imaging in detection and staging of recurrent or metastatic NPC.

Patients And Methods: The PET/MR scans of 60 patients with clinically diagnosed recurrent or metastatic NPC between April 2017 and November 2019 were included in this study. Findings were evaluated according to the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system. Read More

Contemp Clin Dent 2020 Jul-Sep;11(3):256-260. Epub 2020 Nov 26.

Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Government Dental College, Alappuzha, India.

Background: Oral cancer is the most frequent type of cancer of the head and neck area, with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) being the most common single entity. Worldwide, oral cancer accounts for 2%-4% of all cancer cases, the prevalence being highest in India. Lymph node metastases occur in about 40% of patients with oral cancer. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2021 03 1;4(3):e211936. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Head and Neck Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.

Importance: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping agents approved for current surgical practice lack sufficient brightness and target specificity for high-contrast, sensitive nodal visualization.

Objective: To evaluate whether an ultrasmall, molecularly targeted core-shell silica nanoparticle (Cornell prime dots) can safely and reliably identify optically avid SLNs in head and neck melanoma during fluorescence-guided biopsy.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This nonrandomized clinical trial enrolled patients aged 18 years or older with histologically confirmed melanoma in whom SLN mapping was indicated. Read More

Head Neck 2021 Jul 17;43(7):2058-2068. Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Background: To assess the effect of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in the pretherapeutic staging of N classification, detection rate of distant metastases, and second primaries.

Methods: Retrospective study on patients with head and neck carcinoma. We compared pretherapeutic N classification by ultrasound, computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and FDG-PET-CT/MRI. Read More

Eur J Surg Oncol 2021 Feb 18. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

The Department of Maxillofacial and Otorhinolaryngology Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Cancer Institute, National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China. Electronic address:

Introduction: Delphian lymph node metastasis (DLNM) has proven to be a risk factor for a poor prognosis in head and neck malignancies. This study aimed to reveal the clinical features and evaluate the predictive value of the Delphian lymph node (DLN) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) to guide the extent of surgery.

Methods: Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital pathology database was reviewed from 2017 to 2020, and 516 PTC patients with DLN detection were enrolled. Read More

Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2021 Feb 20. Epub 2021 Feb 20.

Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1277 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430022, China.

Purpose: To conduct a head-to-head comparison of the diagnostic ability of Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 (Ga-FAPI) and F-FDG PET/MR in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with NPC were prospectively enrolled. All patients underwent head-and-neck Ga-FAPI PET/MR and F-FDG PET/MR within 1 week. Read More

BMC Cancer 2021 Feb 18;21(1):178. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Background: Early detection and diagnosis of parotid gland cancer (PGC) are essential to improve clinical outcomes, because Tumor-Node-Metastasis stage at diagnosis is a very strong indicator of prognosis in PGC. Nevertheless, some patients still present with large parotid mass, maybe due to the unawareness or ignorance of their disease. In this study, we aimed to present the clinical outcomes of bulky PGC (defined by a 4 cm cutoff point for T3-4 versus T1-2 tumors), to emphasize the necessity of a self-examination tool for parotid gland tumor. Read More

Br J Radiol 2021 Apr 17;94(1120):20201076. Epub 2021 Feb 17.

Department of Nuclear Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea.

Objective: This study compared the diagnostic performance of three different imaging modalities for preoperative lymph node (LN) staging in thyroid cancer patients, using a network meta-analysis (NMA).

Methods: PubMed and Embase were searched to identify studies evaluating the performance of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET or PET/CT), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasonography (US) for preoperative LN staging in thyroid cancer patients. The NMA included both patient- and lesion-based analyses. Read More

Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther 2021 Feb 12;34:102211. Epub 2021 Feb 12.

Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, 207 Uehara, Nishihara, Okinawa, 903-0215, Japan.

Background: Skin metastasis from primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is rare . These metastatic lesions are usually detected by physical examination, ultrasound imaging, computed tomography, and positron emission tomography.. Read More

Oral Oncol 2021 04 11;115:104958. Epub 2021 Feb 11.

University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, United States; Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, United States; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, United States. Electronic address:

High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is an etiologic factor in a spectrum of squamous cell carcinomas including anal, cervical, and oropharyngeal. HPV cell free DNA (cfDNA) is shed from the primary tumor into systemic circulation and can be detected using several platforms including quantitative PCR, digital droplet PCR, or next generation sequencing. Levels of HPV cfDNA at time of initial presentation is associated with known poor prognostic clinicopathologic variables, such as advanced stage and, locoregional and distant metastases. Read More

J Thorac Oncol 2021 05 3;16(5):807-816. Epub 2021 Feb 3.

Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, FHU OncoAge, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France; Hospital-Related Biobank (BB-0033-00025), FHU OncoAge, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France; Institute of Research on Cancer and Ageing of Nice (IRCAN), CNRS, INSERM, FHU OncoAge, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France. Electronic address:

Introduction: Patients with advanced-stage NSCLC whose tumors harbor an ALK gene rearrangement benefit from treatment with multiple ALK inhibitors (ALKi). Approximately 30% of tumor biopsy samples contain insufficient tissue for successful ALK molecular characterization. This study evaluated the added value of analyzing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as a surrogate to ALK tissue analysis and as a function of the response to ALKi. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2020 Dec 28. Epub 2020 Dec 28.

International Head and Neck Scientific Group, Padua, Italy.

Approximately 70-80% of patients with cT1-2N0 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) ultimately prove to have no cancer in the cervical lymphatics on final pathology after selective neck dissection. As a result, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has been adopted during the last decade as a diagnostic staging method to intelligently identify patients who would benefit from formal selective lymphadenectomy or neck irradiation. While not yet universally accepted, SLNB is now incorporated in many national guidelines. Read More

Eur J Surg Oncol 2021 Jun 5;47(6):1233-1243. Epub 2020 Dec 5.

Department of Gynaecological Oncology, The Pan-Birmingham Gynaecological Cancer Centre, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK; Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK.

Background: One Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) assay has recently emerged as a rapid molecular diagnostic tool for the detection of lymph node (LN) metastases. It is a molecular technique that analyses the entire LN tissue using a reverse-transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification reaction to detect tumour specific cytoceratin 19 mRNA.

Aim: To ascertain the diagnostic accuracy of OSNA assay in detecting LN metastases amongst different types of malignancy. Read More

Semin Cancer Biol 2020 Nov 26. Epub 2020 Nov 26.

Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. Electronic address:

Thyroid cancer (TC) is the eighth most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide with a rising incidence in the past 20 years. Surgery is the primary strategy of therapy for patients with medullary TC (MTC) and differentiated TC (DTC). In DTC patients, radioactive iodine (RAI) is administered after thyroidectomy. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 11 27;10(1):20764. Epub 2020 Nov 27.

Department of Radiology, Center for Biomedical Imaging (CBI), Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R), New York University School of Medicine, 660 First Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA.

In this study, we investigate the feasibility of using dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), and dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) for detection of metastatic lymph nodes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cases. Twenty HNSCC patients scheduled for lymph node dissection underwent DCE-MRI, dynamic PET, and DWI using a PET-MR scanner within one week prior to their planned surgery. During surgery, resected nodes were labeled to identify their nodal levels and sent for routine clinical pathology evaluation. Read More

Semin Nucl Med 2021 Jan 7;51(1):50-58. Epub 2020 Aug 7.

Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Electronic address:

Fluorine-18 (F)-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography fused with computed tomography (PET/CT) is a valuable tool in surgical planning for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). If performed prior to biopsy or other surgical intervention, FDG-PET/CT has high sensitivity for the detection of the primary site in patients with cervical lymph node metastases from unknown primary origin and can be used to direct the surgical workup. FDG-PET/CT is superior to CT alone for detection of nodal metastases outside the expected pattern or distant metastases or second primary cancers and can greatly affect determination of appropriate management including surgical eligibility. Read More

Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2021 06 26;48(6):1915-1931. Epub 2020 Nov 26.

Department of Nuclear Medicine, AIIMS, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, PIN: 110029, India.

Purpose: [Ga]Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitors ([Ga]Ga-FAPi) have shown promising preclinical and clinical results in PET imaging. The present study aimed to evaluate the biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, and dosimetry of [Ga]Ga-DOTA.SA. Read More

Front Oncol 2020 10;10:593164. Epub 2020 Nov 10.

International Head and Neck Scientific Group, Padua, Italy.

Background: Patients with metastases in the lymph nodes of the neck and no obvious primary tumor, neck cancer with unknown primary (NCUP), represent a management challenge. A majority of patients have metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), although other histologies do occur.

Methods: We comprehensively reviewed the literature, compared available guidelines, and conferred with an international team of experts. Read More

Curr Oncol Rep 2020 11 14;23(1). Epub 2020 Nov 14.

International Head and Neck Scientific Group, Padua, Italy.

Purpose Of Review: In this narrative review, we discuss the indications for elective and therapeutic neck dissections and the postoperative surveillance and treatment options for recurrent nodal disease in patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer.

Recent Findings: Increased availability of advanced imaging modalities has led to an increased detection rate of previously occult nodal disease in thyroid cancer. Nodal metastases are more common in young patients, large primary tumors, specific genotypes, and certain histological types. Read More

J Nanosci Nanotechnol 2021 Feb;21(2):995-1000

Department of Stomatology, Lianyungang Municipal Oriental Hospital, No. 57 Zhonghua West Road, Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, 222000, China.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma has the characteristics of high malignancy, strong invasiveness and special anatomical location. The prognosis of patients is generally poor. Invasion and metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma is a complex process involving multiple levels and factors. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2020 Nov 3;21(21). Epub 2020 Nov 3.

Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2SY, UK.

Rates of loco-regional recurrence and distant metastasis remain high among head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients, despite advancing cancer treatment modalities and therapeutic agents. One area that has generated considerable interest is the immune landscape of the tumour, heralding a wave of immune checkpoint inhibitors with notable efficacy in recurrent/metastatic HNSCC patients. However, HNSCC remains poorly served by biomarkers that can direct treatment in a personalised fashion to target the tumour heterogeneity seen between patients. Read More