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Clin Transl Radiat Oncol 2020 Jul 23;23:60-64. Epub 2020 Apr 23.

Unit of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.

Aim: In a pilot prospective study, we aimed to test the feasibility and report on the preliminary results on the expression of molecular biomarkers in wound drainage fluids (WDFs) of operated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients.

Material And Methods: Nineteen patients undergoing primary tumor resection with en-block neck dissection were enrolled. In postoperative days 1-3, the expression of several biomarkers in WDFs was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits and correlated with clinical and histopathologic features. Read More

Oral Oncol 2020 Apr 21;106:104706. Epub 2020 Apr 21.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, No. 100, Tzyou 1st Road, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Objectives: In current guidelines, early tongue cancer status post partial glossectomy without adverse risk features do not require adjuvant treatment. However, many of these patients developed recurrence with neck metastases soon. The objectives of this study were to investigate the potential risk factors in early tongue cancer that prophylactic management of neck may be considered. Read More

Radiat Oncol 2020 Apr 15;15(1):80. Epub 2020 Apr 15.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Robert-Koch-Str. 3, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.

Purpose: To analyze management and outcomes following (chemo)radiation therapy in patients with cervical lymph node metastases from an unknown primary site (CCUP) in a large single-center cohort.

Methods: Between 2008 and 2019, 58 patients with CCUP were treated with (chemo)radiation therapy at the University of Freiburg Medical Center and were included in this analysis. Overall survival (OS), locoregional progression-free survival (PFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Read More

Cancer Treat Rev 2020 Apr 21;85:101995. Epub 2020 Feb 21.

International Head and Neck Scientific Group, Padua, Italy.

Up to one in four patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma present with non-metastatic stage IV disease (i.e. T4 or N3). Read More

Int J Surg Case Rep 2020 6;67:254-257. Epub 2020 Feb 6.

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

Introduction: Papillary carcinoma accounts for approximately 80% of all thyroid carcinomas. It is associated with relatively good survival. Distant metastases occur in approximately 10% of the patients, with the lung and bone being the most commonly reported sites. Read More

Laryngoscope 2020 Feb 14. Epub 2020 Feb 14.

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

Objectives/hypothesis: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a high tendency for regional lymphatic spreading. Nevertheless, isolated regional lymph node recurrences are rare, and only limited data regarding its management are available. The aim of this study was to describe treatment modalities and outcomes, and to identify prognostic factors. Read More

Oral Oncol 2020 Jan 28;102:104553. Epub 2020 Jan 28.

Head Neck Surgery Department, University Hospital, Rennes, France; Chemistry, Oncogenesis, Stress, Signaling COSS, INSERM 1242, Rennes 1 University, CLCC Eugene Marquis, Rue de la bataille Flandres Dunkerques, Rennes, France. Electronic address:

Background: In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) 30% of cN0 patients have occult metastasis. LN invasion is a major prognostic factor. Sentinel lymph node (SLN) is an option for cN0 neck management. Read More

World Neurosurg 2020 Apr 27;136:305-310. Epub 2020 Jan 27.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Ochsner Clinical School, University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Ochsner Health System, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Electronic address:

Introduction: To describe the current state of literature involving SMARCB1/INI-1 deficient sinonasal carcinoma (SDSC) and examine a case at our institution.

Methods: A systematic search was performed using the Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome, and Study Design approach. Search criteria included all occurrences in the title or abstract of the terms: "integrase interactor 1 deficient," "INI1 deficient," or "SMARCB1 deficient" and "sinonasal carcinoma. Read More

Radiat Oncol 2020 Jan 20;15(1):18. Epub 2020 Jan 20.

Department of Radiotherapy, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy.

Background: Distant Metastases from Head and Neck Squamous cell carcinomas are uncommon (9-11%) and they are usually found in the lung and less frequently in the liver, kidney and adrenals. Central nervous system (CNS) metastases are extremely rare (2-8%), and they are described mainly in patients who already have extracranial metastases. So there's scarcity of data about their optimal management . Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Dec 29;12(12). Epub 2019 Dec 29.

Department of Laboratories, College of Medicine & Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines.

A 53-year-old man presented with a 3-month history of progressive, non-productive cough followed by occasional swelling of the face and upper extremities. Physical examination on admission revealed prominent superficial vessels at the neck and upper extremity swelling. Bronchoscopy revealed the superior segment of the right lower lobe was narrow but without visible mass; cell block and biopsy done revealed signet-ring cell carcinoma with an immunohistochemistry pattern favouring the primary site of malignancy as either gastric or of the pancreaticobiliary tree. Read More

J Craniomaxillofac Surg 2020 Jan 13;48(1):111-116. Epub 2019 Dec 13.

Department Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany.

Objectives: Operative management of squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary alveolus and hard palate (MHSCC) is still a controversial issue, especially for cN0 cases. We report the survival outcomes in patients with MHSCC, including the rate of cervical occult metastasis for UICC stages I/II and survival after elective neck dissection (END).

Methods: 77 patients with primary MHSCC were followed-up from 2 months to 14. Read More

Clin Otolaryngol 2020 May 20;45(3):342-349. Epub 2020 Feb 20.

Head and Neck Unit, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.

Background: Management of metastatic N3 nodal disease from primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is controversial. Recently, there has been a move to observation of the neck for those who achieve complete response (CR) after chemoradiotherapy (CRT). We sought to determine survival outcomes for N3 nodal disease, particularly for patients with human papilloma virus (HPV)-positive HNSCC. Read More

Oral Oncol 2020 Mar 18;102:104518. Epub 2019 Dec 18.

Department of Radiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, USA.

Metachronous mediastinal and lung metastases (MMLM), important sources of morbidity and mortality, in people with head and neck cancer (HNC) have received little attention. Between 1980 and 2004, 37 patients with treated HNC and MMLM diagnosed on follow-up imaging (with histological confirmation in 14 cases) were identified. The median interval from diagnosis of HNC to the appearance of MMLM was 14. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Dec;98(51):e18036

Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Huaian No. 1 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Huaian, Jinagsu Province, China.

Cullin 4A (CUL4A) is a protein of E3 ubiquitin ligase with many cellular processes. CUL4A could regulate cell cycle, development, apoptosis, and genome instability. This study aimed to analyze the expression of CUL4A in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues and the associations of CUL4A expression with prognostic significance. Read More

Oncology 2020 17;98(3):179-185. Epub 2019 Dec 17.

Division of Hematology and Oncology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas and Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dallas, Texas, USA,

Background: HPV-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HPV+ HNSCC) demonstrates favorable outcomes compared to HPV-negative SCC, but distant metastases (DM) still occur. The pattern of DM in HPV+ HNSCC is unclear.

Methods: 1,494 HNSCC patients were treated from 2006 to 2012. Read More

Oral Oncol 2020 02 10;101:104505. Epub 2019 Dec 10.

Department of Oncology, 920(th) Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force, 212 Daguan Road, Kunming 650032, China. Electronic address:

Objective: Optimal neck management in patients with olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB), a rare malignancy, remains uncertain. This study aimed to analyse patterns of cervical lymph node metastases and corresponding clinical outcomes and to investigate the value of elective neck irradiation (ENI) in this population.

Methods And Materials: This study retrospectively reviewed clinical records, imaging findings, nodal metastasis features and treatment data of 217 patients with ONB treated at our hospital during 1991-2019. Read More

Ann Plast Surg 2020 Jan;84(1S Suppl 1):S11-S16

From the Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan.

Objectives: Metastasis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) usually occurs regionally in the neck lymph nodes, but also more infrequently at distant organs (eg, the lungs, bone, and liver). Intramuscular metastasis (IMM) has rarely been described. Therefore, we aimed to identify this disease characteristic and to evaluate available medical management options. Read More

Eur J Dermatol 2019 Oct;29(5):490-499

3rd Ophthalmology Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece.

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the commonest malignancy worldwide (>80% located in the head and neck area). The aim of this study was to assess risk factors predisposing to local recurrence of NMSC of the middle third of the face (MTF). This was a single-centre retrospective analysis of patients with NMSC of the MTF treated during 1995-2010. Read More

Oncologist 2020 May 29;25(5):e789-e797. Epub 2019 Nov 29.

Department of Medicine, Endocrinology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.

Background: Patients with pituitary metastasis (PM) have a relatively poor prognosis. We describe the presentation, management, and outcomes of patients with PM.

Subjects, Materials, And Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients diagnosed with PM at a single institution from 1996 to 2015. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2019 25;34:51. Epub 2019 Sep 25.

Department of Ophthalmology, Maradi Reference Center, Maradi, Niger Republic.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a tumor of skeletal muscle origin, is the most common soft tissue sarcoma encountered in childhood and adolescence; it is primarily found in the head and neck region, it is relatively uncommon tumors of the oral cavity. Clinical signs depend on the exact location of the lesion in the oral cavity and its development. Authors reported the case of a 14-year-old patient who presented an oropharyngeal mass causing voice dysfunction, after two surgical operation the patient experimented two 2 recurrences of the lesion. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2019 16;34:33. Epub 2019 Sep 16.

Head and Neck Department, Hospital International Cheikh Khalifa, Casablanca, Morocco.

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of larynx is extremely rare location. We herein describe an unusual clinical and radiological presentation of ACCL and review recent literature. We report a case of a 38-year-old woman with history of asthma, presented to our department with acute inspiratory dyspnea that required an emergency tracheotomy. Read More

Curr Oncol Rep 2019 Nov 14;21(11):102. Epub 2019 Nov 14.

Department of Radiation Oncology, groupe Pitié-Salpêtrière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Sorbonne Université, 47-83, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013, Paris, France.

Purpose Of Review: Management of metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCC) can be challenging. This review gives an insight of current treatment options for patients with synchronous metastatic HNSCC and suggests a therapeutic algorithm.

Recent Findings: With the rise of novel therapeutic techniques and medications, many treatment options for both locoregional and distant metastatic disease have become available. Read More

Eur Radiol 2020 Feb 30;30(2):833-843. Epub 2019 Oct 30.

Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, No. 613, Huangpu West Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510627, People's Republic of China.

Purpose: To develop a radiomics-based model to stratify the risk of early progression (local/regional recurrence or metastasis) among patients with hypopharyngeal cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy and modify their pretreatment plans.

Materials And Methods: We randomly assigned 113 patients into two cohorts: training (n = 80) and validation (n = 33). The radiomic significant features were selected in the training cohort using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and Akaike information criterion methods, and they were used to build the radiomic model. Read More

Eur J Cancer 2019 12 24;123:1-10. Epub 2019 Oct 24.

Head and Neck Surgery Department, Pellegrin Hospital, Centre Michelet, Bordeaux, France.

Background: Head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM) is aggressive and rare, with a poor prognosis because of its high metastatic potential. The two main subtypes are sinonasal (sinonasal mucosal melanoma [SNMM]) and oral cavity (oral cavity mucosal melanoma [OCMM]). Consensual therapeutic guidelines considering the primary tumour site and tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stage are not well established. Read More

Pediatr Radiol 2019 10 16;49(11):1391-1403. Epub 2019 Oct 16.

Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Differentiated thyroid cancer in children is a rare disease, accounting for only 1.4% of all pediatric malignancies. The diagnosis, biological behavior and treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer in children is different from that in adults. Read More

Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2019 10 8;19(10):899-908. Epub 2019 Oct 8.

Coordinator of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group , Padua , Italy.

: Management of clinically negative neck (cN0) in patients with parotid gland cancer is controversial. Treatment options can include observation, elective neck dissection or elective radiotherapy. : We addressed the treatment options for cN0 patients with parotid gland cancer. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2019 Nov 3;276(11):2957-2962. Epub 2019 Oct 3.

Department of Radiotherapy and Medical Oncology, University Hospital for Tumours, University Hospital Center "Sisters of Mercy", Ilica 197, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.

Purpose: Adenoid cystic carcinoma of head and neck (AdCCHN) is salivary gland malignancy known for its slow progression accompanied with perineural invasion, rare lymphatic spread to the neck, high rate of local recurrence and delayed onset of distant metastases. While local recurrence and distant metastases are most common patterns of relapse and cause of death in AdCCHN, it has been debated whether lymph node involvement affects the course of the disease. The aim of this systematic review was to address this important issue and to recommend guidelines on clinically node-negative neck management in patients with AdCCHN. Read More

Curr Oncol 2019 08 1;26(4):e574-e577. Epub 2019 Aug 1.

Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.

Extraosseous Ewing sarcoma is a rare, poorly differentiated round-cell tumour that is part of the Ewing sarcoma family of tumours. Here, we present an extremely rare case of primary extraosseous Ewing sarcoma arising in the larynx, with distant metastases. A 53-year-old man with a history of Hodgkin lymphoma treated 4 years earlier with 8 cycles of chemotherapy presented to our medical centre with a 2-week history of hoarseness. Read More

Cancer Radiother 2019 Oct 3;23(6-7):682-687. Epub 2019 Sep 3.

Radiation Oncology Department, CHU de Reims, 51100 Reims, France.

Despite representing a 1% of diagnosed cancer cases in the USA and up to 5% in eastern Asia and Africa, oesophageal cancer still holds numerous questions concerning the best therapeutic management. For squamous cell carcinoma, while radiochemotherapy has proven itself to be the gold standard as part of the trimodality or alone as a definitive treatment, radiotherapy modalities are still debated especially regarding lymph node irradiation. Involved nodes irradiation was developed with the aim of maintaining clinical outcomes and enhancing quality of life but lacks grade 1 evidence. Read More

Clin Lung Cancer 2020 Jan 1;21(1):37-46.e7. Epub 2019 Aug 1.

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. Electronic address:

Background: Local consolidative therapy (LCT) to optimize disease control is an evolving management paradigm in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who present with a limited metastatic disease burden. We hypothesized that LCT to all sites of disease would be associated with improved overall survival (OS) among patients with synchronous oligometastatic NSCLC.

Patients And Methods: Patients presenting to a single institution (2000-2017) with stage IV NSCLC and ≤ 3 synchronous metastases were identified. Read More

Cancer Treat Rev 2019 Aug 8;78:42-51. Epub 2019 Aug 8.

Coordinator of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group.

The poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) of the larynx are rare tumors that comprise of a small cell-type (SCNEC) and a large cell-type (LCNEC). In order to consolidate the current knowledge about their characteristics and management a systematic review of the available literature was performed. The PubMed/Medline and Scopus databases search resulted in 141 articles published between 1972 and 2019, describing 273 patients: 230 cases were of SCNEC histology (84. Read More

Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2019 10 14;57(8):716-721. Epub 2019 Aug 14.

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Holtye Road, East Grinstead, RH19 3DZ. Electronic address:

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive, rare, malignant tumour that accounts for about 1% of all head and neck neoplasms and 10% of all salivary gland tumours. It is characterised by frequent local recurrences and distant metastases. Growth is slow but relentless, and progression poses a challenge to head and neck clinicians. Read More

Head Neck 2019 11 7;41(11):3783-3787. Epub 2019 Aug 7.

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

Background: The management of patients with incidentally discovered metastatic thyroid cancer in cervical lymph nodes in neck dissection specimens for other pathologies is unclear.

Methods: Retrospective review of neck dissection specimens for nonthyroid malignancy during a 30-year period was undertaken to identify incidental metastatic papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

Results: Twenty-six patients had an incidental finding of PTC in lymph node(s) in neck dissection specimens. Read More

Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2019 10 2;57(8):711-715. Epub 2019 Aug 2.

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Holtye Road, East Grinstead, RH19 3DZ. Electronic address:

Metastasis to the neck in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has a huge impact on long-term survival and prognosis, and its incidence varies. Due consideration therefore should be given to management of the neck in each individual case. The pathways in patients with primary oral SCC are well-established, but there is a paucity of published papers on management of the neck in those with ipsilateral recurrent or second primary oral SCC whose necks have previously been operated on with or without radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy, or treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy alone. Read More

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2019 07 1;20(7):2003-2008. Epub 2019 Jul 1.

Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), Karachi, Pakistan.

Background: Precise staging of esophageal cancer (EC) is important for selection of optimal treatment option and prognostication. Aim of this study was to assess the role of 18FDG PET/CT in staging and response evaluation to neoadjuvant chemoradiation (nCR) in EC patients using standardized imaging protocol. Material and methods: This prospective study was conducted at PET/CT Section of Department of Radiology, Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, Pakistan from July 2017 till February 2018. Read More

Strahlenther Onkol 2019 Dec 26;195(12):1050-1059. Epub 2019 Jul 26.

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU), Waldstraße 1, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.

Purpose: To determine survival and management strategies for high-grade adenocarcinoma of salivary glands (ASG).

Methods: A retrospective analysis of cases diagnosed between 1998 and 2015 from our single tertiary referral center was performed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with survival. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2019 Jun 23:1-8. Epub 2019 Jun 23.

b Department of Medical Oncology , UZ Gent , Ghent , Belgium.

: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the head and neck is a rare malignancy of the salivary glands that accounts for approximately 10% of salivary gland carcinoma. Despite aggressive local therapy, local recurrence and distant metastases occur frequently. Response rates (RR) to potential curative and palliative chemotherapy are limited, so new strategies are needed. Read More

Radiat Oncol 2019 Jun 13;14(1):107. Epub 2019 Jun 13.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, 83 Fenyang Road, Xuhui, Shanghai, 200031, People's Republic of China.

Background: There is a scarcity of data about the prognostic value of orbital invasion in esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB), as well as about its management strategies. Indications for the preservation of orbital contents remain controversial, and the evaluation of orbital invasion has been ill defined.

Methods: This retrospective analysis contained 60 ENB patients with orbital invasion who underwent radiotherapy with or without surgery over the past 14 years. Read More

Oral Oncol 2019 06 15;93:46-51. Epub 2019 Apr 15.

Medical Oncology Department, Centre Henri Becquerel, Rouen, France.

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of use, modalities and potential interest of locoregional irradiation (LRT) in patients with upfront metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods: Retrospective multicentric study. Were included all patients presenting an upfront metastatic HNSCC treated by platin-5FU- cetuximab based regimen, from 2008 to 2016. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2019 Aug 16;276(8):2259-2265. Epub 2019 May 16.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Frauenklinikstrasse 24, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland.

Purpose: To present outcome measures of sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SMM) patients with particular focus on current radiological and therapeutic options, especially in the non-curative setting (immunotherapy).

Methods: Retrospective study on SMM patients treated at our institution between January 1992 and December 2018.

Results: FDG-PET/MRI has emerged as the new hybrid imaging modality, addressing the need for high local tissue contrast in the paranasal sinuses and the skull base, while allowing for whole-body staging in search for distant metastases, including the brain. Read More

Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2019 07 7;57(6):515-528. Epub 2019 May 7.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals and St James Institute of Oncology, Leeds Dental Institute and Leeds General Infirmary, LS1 3EX. Electronic address:

The management of enlarged retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RLN) in patients with confirmed oral, oropharyngeal, or nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has prognostic relevance and is a challenge for the clinical teams. There is, however, no consensus regarding their clinical management or radiographic evaluation. The aim of this review therefore was to present the current thinking on management to help improve outcomes. Read More

IUBMB Life 2019 07 26;71(7):1030-1040. Epub 2019 Apr 26.

Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.

Genetic mutations play important roles in not only development of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) but also determination of its properties. The radioactive iodine refractory (RAIR) state is a harbinger of poor outcomes for PTC. We used various statistical models to investigate the significance of TERT promoter, BRAF, and RAS mutations in distinguishing the RAIR state and their associations with I uptake. Read More

Oral Oncol 2019 04 16;91:7-12. Epub 2019 Feb 16.

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, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

Objectives: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive cervical lymph node (CLN) metastasis of unknown primary origin is classified as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) T0 by the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual (8th edition). We aimed to investigate the possible primary sites and patterns of EBV-positive CLN metastases and to provide implications for the management of NPC T0 classification.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 269 patients with newly diagnosed EBV-positive CLN metastatic disease who underwent EBV detection via EBV-encoded RNA in situ hybridization. Read More

Med Oncol 2019 Mar 27;36(5):40. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Radiation Oncology Department, François Baclesse Center/ARCHADE, Normandy University, 3 Avenue du Général Harris, 14000, Caen, France.

Head and neck squamous-cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) have a significant lymph node tropism. This varies considerably depending on the primary tumor site and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) status of the disease. The best therapeutic option, between up-front lymph node dissection and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) +/- followed by lymph node dissection in case of persistent lymphadenopathy or regional relapse, remains unclear. Read More

J Natl Cancer Inst 2019 03 26. Epub 2019 Mar 26.

Clinical Investigative Branch, Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of head and neck cancer with a distinctive regional and racial prevalence. It is associated with Epstein Barr Virus infection and has a high propensity for regional and distant metastases, while at the same time it is very sensitive to radiation and chemotherapy. A common feature of Epstein Barr Virus-positive NPC is the dense infiltration of lymphocytes in the tumor stroma and positive PD-L1 expression in tumor cells, making it an attractive target for immunotherapy, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors. Read More

Radiol Med 2019 Jul 9;124(7):682-692. Epub 2019 Mar 9.

Radiation Oncology Department, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Università di Genova, Genoa, Italy.

Background: This study, promoted by Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) Head and Neck Group, aimed to assess the current national practice of target volume delineation on a case of neck lymph node metastases from unknown primary evaluating inter-observer variability, in a setting of primary radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: A case of metastatic neck lymph node from occult primary was proposed to 17 radiation oncologists. A national reference RT center was identified and considered as benchmark. Read More

Br J Neurosurg 2019 Mar 5:1-6. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

a Department of Neurological Surgery, Wexner Medical Center , The Ohio State University College of Medicine , Columbus , OH , USA.

Introduction: Pituitary carcinomas are poorly understood, rare entities. They are distinguished from adenomas not by histopathological features but rather by the presence of metastases.

Objective: We discuss the diagnosis, mechanism of dissemination and pathogenesis based on a review of the literature and illustrated by a singular case. Read More

Semin Radiat Oncol 2019 04;29(2):93-101

Wright Center of Innovation in Biomedical Imaging, Division of Imaging Science, Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH. Electronic address:

The purpose of this article is to present the recent imaging advancements enabled by digital photon counting positron emission tomography detector technology and discuss its potential applications in the clinical management of head and neck cancer (HNC) and nodal metastases. F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography is a clinically useful biomarker for the detection, targeted biopsy, treatment planning, and therapeutic response assessment of HNC. This article highlights the current state of F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography imaging in HNC management as well as the emerging capabilities of the recently introduced digital photon counting positron emission tomography/computed tomography platform for more effective molecular and functional HNC imaging. Read More

Semin Radiat Oncol 2019 04;29(2):171-179

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

The two types of nonmelanoma skin cancer most apt to metastasize to lymph nodes are cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma. The clinical impact of nodal metastases of these cancers is substantial, resulting in intensification of treatment and morbidity and worsened cancer outcomes. Exact best practices are challenging to define as many specific clinical scenarios remain incompletely catalogued, characterized, or studied. Read More

Semin Radiat Oncol 2019 04;29(2):144-149

Department of Radiation Oncology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.

The management of cancers of the head and neck focuses on primary site and regional (neck) disease control. Many patients are treated with surgery as the principal mode of treatment, and surgery often includes an elective or therapeutic neck dissection. Risk factors assessed for recurrence subsequent to neck dissection include nodal size, number, levels, and the presence of extranodal spread. Read More