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Head Neck 2021 Jun 11. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Maxillofacial Surgery and Odontostomatology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico di Milano, Milan, Italy.

Background: Lymph node metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is associated with poor prognosis. The 8th edition of TNM has implemented new nodal staging criteria. We assess the prognostic utility of the lymph node ratio (LNR) and compare it to that of pN in the TNM 8th edition. Read More

Mod Pathol 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

A novel DEK-AFF2 fusion has been recently identified in four cases of basaloid to nonkeratinizing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the sinonasal tract and middle ear with high-grade morphology. The exceptional response to immune checkpoint inhibitor in the first reported case highlights the potential clinical importance of identifying tumors with DEK-AFF2 fusions. We herein reported the first series of seven cases of DEK-AFF2 fusion-associated sinonasal SCC with deceptively bland morphology, including four cases of low-grade papillary Schneiderian carcinoma, which is a recently described tumor type with unknown molecular underpinnings. Read More

Neoplasia 2021 Jun 6;23(6):594-606. Epub 2021 Jun 6.

Division of Oral and Craniofacial health Sciences, Adams School of Dentistry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, UNC School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Biomedical Research Imaging Center, UNC School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cancer Cell Biology Program, UNC School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Electronic address:

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the 6th most common cancer worldwide and incidence rates are continuing to rise globally. HNSCC patient prognosis is closely related to the occurrence of tumor metastases, and collagen within the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a key role in this process. Lysyl hydroxylase 2 (LH2), encoded by the Procollagen-Lysine,2-Oxoglutarate 5-Dioxygenase 2 (PLOD2) gene, catalyzes hydroxylation of telopeptidyl lysine (Lys) residues of fibrillar collagens which then undergo subsequent modifications to form stable intermolecular cross-links that change the biomechanical properties (i. Read More

Oral Maxillofac Surg 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Department Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, Federico II University of Naples, Via Sergio Pansini 5, Naples, Italy.

The appropriate surgical management of early-stage oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) remains a debated topic. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of the pre-treatment neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and tumor depth of invasion (DOI) in predicting the presence of occult neck metastases in early-stage OTSCC. A retrospective analysis of patients affected by early-stage (cT1-T2 cN0) OTSCC who were submitted to elective neck dissection (END) was performed. Read More

Zhonghua Wai Ke Za Zhi 2021 Jun;59(6):502-506

Department of Thyroid Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.

To examine the correlation factors of contralateral central lymph node metastasis in unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma with lateral cervical lymph node metastasis. The clinical data of patients with unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma who underwent total thyroidectomy and bilateral central lymph node dissection and ipsilateral cervical lymph node dissection from June 2016 to June 2018 at Department of Thyroid Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University were analyzed retrospectively. A total of 317 patients, including 87 males and 230 females, aged (41. Read More

Front Oncol 2021 20;11:672490. Epub 2021 May 20.

Section of Restorative and Reconstructive Oral Care, Department of Oral Health Sciences, Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Osteosarcoma is a dominating malignant bone tumor with high mortality due to pulmonary metastases. Furthermore, because of the cancer cell erosion and surgery resection, osteosarcoma always causes bone defects, which means dysfunction and disfigurement are seldom inevitable. Although various advanced treatments (e. Read More

Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2021 May 15;65:102303. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Biotechnology Postgraduate Program, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil.

Introduction: Immune cells contribute with mediators in the protein expression profile of the tumor microenvironment. Levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) are elevated in non-malignant inflammatory conditions; however, the association between PAI-1 expression and inflammation remains uncertain in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study aimed to investigate PAI-1 expression in mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltrate in OSCC and its role as a prognostic marker. Read More

Auris Nasus Larynx 2021 Jun 3. Epub 2021 Jun 3.

Otolaryngology and Head-Neck Surgery Unit, Department of Head-Neck Surgeries, Morgagni Pierantoni Hospital, Azienda USL della Romagna, Forlì, Italy.

Objective: Trans Oral Robotic Surgery (TORS) is a modality in the management of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma(OPSCC). This study was planned to determine whether Selective Neck Dissection (SND) is oncological safe procedure even in patients with lymph node metastases.

Methods: OPSCC patients were divided into Modified Radical Neck Dissection (MRND) and SND groups. Read More

Cancer Lett 2021 Jun 2;516:64-72. Epub 2021 Jun 2.

Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, 6 Taoyuan Road, Nanning, 530021, China. Electronic address:

Tumor metastasis is the primary cause of treatment failure and cancer-related deaths. Store-operated Ca entry (SOCE), which is mediated by stromal interaction molecules (STIM) and ORAI proteins, has been implicated in the tumor invasion-metastasis cascade. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular program that enables tumor cells to acquire the capacities needed for migration and invasion and the formation of distal metastases. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Jun;100(22):e26230

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Longgang District People's Hospital of Shenzhen, The Third Affiliated Hospital (Provisional) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Longgang central city, Shenzhen, Guangdong, P.R. China.

Rationale: Multiple endocrine neoplasia 2A (MEN2A) is a rare autosomal-dominant genetic syndrome, frequently misdiagnosed or neglected clinically, resulting in delayed therapy to patients.

Patient Concerns: A 47-year-old Chinese male patient underwent laparoscopic right adrenal tumorectomy, and postoperative pathology confirmed the tumor as pheochromocytoma (PHEO). He was readmitted to the department of endocrinology and metabolism due to constant increase in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) at 5 months after the operation. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2021 Jun 1. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Department of Oncology 5073, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100-DK, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Purpose: Whole-body FDG-PET-CT is widely used at diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) but may identify suspicious lesions outside the neck that require investigation. This study evaluated the impact of smoking and P16-status on the incidence of malignant disease outside the head and neck region in newly diagnosed patients with SCCHN.

Methods: All PET-positive foci outside the head-neck area were registered in 1069 patients planned for postoperative or curative intent radiotherapy with whole-body FDG-PET/CT from 2006 to 2012. Read More

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

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

Department of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland.

Mucosal melanoma can be driven by various driver mutations in genes such as , , or . However, some cases present with only weak drivers, or lacking known oncogenic drivers, suggesting immunotherapy over targeted therapy. While resistance mechanisms to immunotherapy in cutaneous melanoma have been uncovered, including alterations in /, or , a switch of oncogenic drivers under immunotherapy has not yet been observed. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2021 May 28;13(11). Epub 2021 May 28.

Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Intraoperative tumor identification (extension/margins/metastases) via receptor-specific targeting is one of the ultimate promises of fluorescence-guided surgery. The translation of fluorescent tracers that enable tumor visualization forms a critical component in the realization of this approach. Ex vivo assessment of surgical specimens after topical tracer application could help provide an intermediate step between preclinical evaluation and first-in-human trials. Read More

J Clin Med 2021 May 8;10(9). Epub 2021 May 8.

Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.

Laryngeal neuroendocrine carcinomas (LNECs) are rare and highly heterogeneous malignancies presenting a wide range of pathological and clinical manifestations. Herein, we retrospectively characterize ten patients diagnosticated with LNEC, five of which were defined as well-moderately differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas, and five that were defined as poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas, according to the latest WHO classification. Clinical features were analyzed and compared between the two subgroups together with a microRNA study which evidenced a peculiar signature likely related to poorly differentiated larynx neuroendocrine carcinomas. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2021 May 11;13(10). Epub 2021 May 11.

Center for Tumor Immunology Research, University of Rochester Medical Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.

Metastatic melanoma portends a poor prognosis and patients may present with multiple, simultaneous tumors. Despite recent advances in systemic immunotherapy, a majority of patients fail to respond, or exhibit lesion-specific responses wherein some metastases respond as others progress within the same patient. While intertumoral heterogeneity has been clinically associated with these mixed lesion-specific therapeutic responses, no clear mechanism has been identified, largely due to the scarcity of preclinical models. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2021 May 4;13(9). Epub 2021 May 4.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.

: Lymph node metastases are associated with poor prognosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Neck dissection (ND) is often performed prior to or after (chemo)radiation (CRT) and is an integral part of HNSCC treatment strategies. The impact of CRT delivered prior to ND on lymph node yield (LNY) and lymph node ratio (LNR) has not been comprehensively investigated. Read More

J Pak Med Assoc 2021 Mar;71(3):826-829

Department of Radiology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan in detecting cervical nodal metastasis in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. and comprised records from January 1, 2015, to October 31, 2016, of patients diagnosed with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma and who underwent surgical resection of primary tumour along with neck dissection after having a contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of head and neck. 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

Am J Surg Pathol 2021 May 27. Epub 2021 May 27.

Departments of Pathology Oncology Ophthalmology Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD Institute of Pathology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, University Hospital, Erlangen, Germany Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital Department of Pathology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Department of Pathology, University Health Network, Toronto, ON Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX Department of Pathology, Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center, Walnut Creek, CA Department of Head and Neck Pathology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

A novel DEK-AFF2 fusion was recently reported in 4 nonkeratinizing squamous cell carcinomas of the sinonasal region and skull base, including 1 with exceptional response to immunotherapy, but it is not yet clear if this rearrangement defines a unique clinicopathologic category or represents a rare event. This study aims to characterize a larger cohort of carcinomas with DEK-AFF2 fusions to assess whether they truly constitute a distinctive entity. Among 27 sinonasal and skull base nonkeratinizing squamous cell carcinoma that were negative for human papillomavirus and Epstein-Barr virus, RNA sequencing identified DEK-AFF2 fusions in 13 cases (48%). Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2021 May 27. Epub 2021 May 27.

Department of Otolaryngology, South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork, T12 X23H, Ireland.

Purpose: The precise etiopathogenesis of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), and reasons for predilection for crypt epithelium, remain uncertain. The purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction between HPV and specific cytokeratins 7 (CK7) and 19 (CK19) in crypt epithelium.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients presenting between 1999 and 2015 at a tertiary referral center. Read More

World J Clin Cases 2021 May;9(15):3662-3667

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang Province, China.

Background: Fine-needle biopsy is an accurate and cost-efficient tool for the assessment of thyroid nodules. It includes two primary methods: Fine-needle capillary biopsy (FNCB) and fine-needle aspiration biopsy. Needle tract seeding (NTS) is a rare complication of thyroid fine-needle biopsy mainly caused by fine-needle aspiration biopsy rather than FNCB. Read More

Ear Nose Throat J 2021 May 27:1455613211016703. Epub 2021 May 27.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.

Background: Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is an exceedingly rare, slow-growing but progressive endocrine malignancy that represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Vertebral metastasis of PC is remarkable, with only 3 prior cases of spinal metastasis reported in the literature.

Case Description: A 62-year-old woman presented with 1 week of neck pain radiating down her right arm. Read More

Head Neck Pathol 2021 May 26. Epub 2021 May 26.

Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.

There have been a few case reports and one small series of low grade papillary sinonasal (Schneiderian) carcinomas (LGPSC) which mimic papillomas but have overtly invasive growth and which occasionally metastasize. We describe the morphologic, clinical, immunohistochemical, and molecular features of five patients with LGPSC compared with eight cases each of inverted papilloma (IP) and conventional nonkeratinizing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with papillary growth. All LGPSC were nested with predominantly pushing invasion, no stromal reaction, and frequent surface papillary growth. Read More

Cancer Imaging 2021 May 26;21(1):38. Epub 2021 May 26.

Department of Radiology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Background: Early recurrence of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is defined as recurrence after surgery within 1 year, and appears as local recurrence, distant recurrence, and lymph node positive and disseminated recurrence. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) is recommended for diagnosis of primary tumor and initial staging of oesophageal SCC, but it cannot be used to predict early recurrence. It is reported that radiomics can help predict preoperative stages of oesophageal SCC, lymph node metastasis before operation, and 3-year overall survival of oesophageal SCC patients following chemoradiotherapy by extracting high-throughput quantitative features from CT images. Read More

ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec 2021 May 25:1-8. Epub 2021 May 25.

Department of General Pathology, Dental School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Introduction: Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common cancer of the oral cavity. When the tumor invades the bone tissue, the prognostic and survival rates decrease a lot, and the treatment becomes more aggressive, with several damages to the patient and health system. Many of the molecular mechanisms of bone invasion process are not understood yet, but it is already known that one of central processes of tumor evolution - adjacent tissues invasion and metastasis - is a large spectrum of phenotypic changes in epithelial cells to mesenchymal, in a process named as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Read More

Surg Today 2021 May 25. Epub 2021 May 25.

Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan.

Purpose: Patients with liver metastasis of head-and-neck carcinoma and esophageal carcinoma are generally not treated with hepatic resection, but there are no established standard treatment methods. We report 11 cases of hepatic resection for liver metastasis of head-and-neck carcinoma or esophageal carcinoma performed at 5 Japanese institutions.

Methods: The subjects of this retrospective analysis were 11 patients who underwent hepatic resection for metastatic liver tumors, originating from head-and-neck carcinoma in 5 and from esophageal cancer in 6, between January, 2010 and March, 2020 RESULTS: There were nine men and two women (median age, 64 years; range 40-72 years). Read More

Am J Surg 2021 May 13. Epub 2021 May 13.

Department of Pathology, MSC08 4640, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA.

Background: The presence of nodal metastases is important in the treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We present our experience using a convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict the presence of nodal metastases in a series of PTC patients using visual histopathology from the primary tumor alone.

Methods: 174 cases of PTC were evaluated for the presence or absence of lymph metastases. Read More

Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital 2021 Apr;41(2):108-119

Division of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.

Yonago Acta Med 2021 May 15;64(2):217-221. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Division of Pathology, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai 981-8536, Japan.

A 49-year-old Japanese man presented with a rare case of sinonasal leiomyosarcoma with left nasal bleeding for 12 months. He had no history of irradiation or malignancies, including retinoblastoma. Preoperative histological examination suggested vascular leiomyoma. Read More