Reconstruction techniques using free jejunal transfer for total pharyngolaryngectomy with total glossectomy.

BACKGROUND: Total pharyngolaryngectomy is sometimes combined with total glossectomy for advanced hypopharyngeal or cervical esophageal cancers involving the tongue base. The optimal reconstruction method for total pharyngolaryngectomy with total glossectomy has not been established due to a considerable diameter mismatch between the floor of mouth and the esophageal stump. This report describes two reconstruction methods using free jejunal transfer. METHODS: Five consecutive patients who underwent total pharyngolaryngectomy with total glossectomy were included, with a mean age of 67.0 (range 55-75) years. Primary tumors included tongue, hypopharyngeal, cervical esophagus, and laryngeal cancers. The mean defect size was 17.0 (16-19) × 6.8 (6-7) cm. Surgical techniques involved either a simple incision or a two-segment method to address the size mismatch between the jejunum and the floor of mouth. In the simple incision method, a longitudinal cut was made to the antimesenteric or paramesenteric border of a jejunum wall to expand the orifice. In the two-segment method, a jejunal graft was separated into two segments to reconstruct the floor of mouth and the cervical esophagus, and these segments were connected with a longitudinal incision to the cervical esophageal segment to form a funnel-shaped conduit. RESULTS: Of the five patients, three underwent the simple incision method and two the two-segment method. Postoperative pharyngoesophagography showed a smooth passage for all patients. Postoperative courses were uneventful except for one flap loss due to arterial thrombosis. Four patients achieved oral feeding, while one became gastric-tube dependent. At a mean follow-up of 22.1 (4-39) months, one patient required tube feeding, two tolerated full liquid, and two consumed a soft diet. CONCLUSIONS: Both the simple incision and two-segment methods achieved satisfactory swallowing function. The choice between these reconstruction methods may depend on the extent of resection of the posterior pharyngeal wall.

Tongue cancer developing after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for treatment of acute promyelocytic leukaemia: A case report.

Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) is a form of acute myelogenous leukaemia. APL is characterised by anaemia due to suppression of normal haematopoiesis and infection. Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is current option for the treatment of haematopoietic malignancies and is proving to be successful. Although HSCT has been effective for the treatment of haematopoietic malignant tumours, chronic graft-versushost disease (GVHD) but secondary cancers can occur, which is a serious complication and frequently involves the oral cavity and skin. Here, we report the case of tongue cancer occurring 17 years after transplantation in a patient who developed GVHD after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and APL remission. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of secondary oral cancer after HSCT with APL as the primary disease.

[Papilloma excision. Scalpel or CO2 Laser? A case report].

A papilloma is a benign tumor arising from an epithelial surface. Mostly a papilloma appears as an asymptomatic intraoral lesion and is often associated with the human papilloma virus (HPV). In this case report two similar, verrucous papules, sessile bilateral on the back of the tongue, were surgically removed in a 65-year-old male patient. Thereby two different methods of treatment were compared. On the right side of the back of the tongue, excision by scalpel, as the gold standard treatment modality, was performed. On the left side a surgical removal by a CO2 laser was performed. In a photothermal procedure, without direct contact to the tissue, the laser beam is cutting through the mucosa. Secondary wound healing can take place. Both methods were compared in relation to their application, wound healing, quality of the biopsy and morbidity. Postoperative less discomfort and a slightly faster wound healing could be seen after scalpel removal. The histopathological examination was comparable for both methods.

[The analysis of unconventional lymph node metastasis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma].

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of cervical lymph node metastasis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted. A total of 329 patients with TSCC who underwent en bloc resection of primary tumor and neck dissection in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from June 2010 to March 2018 were included. There were 283 males and 46 females, aged from 26 to 80 years. All patients underwent the modified neck dissection. The main difference between the modified neck dissection and the traditional neck dissection lay in the managements of unconventional lymph nodes. The lymphatic adipose tissues adjacent to the superior thyroid artery, the base of facial artery and the branches of external carotid artery were thoroughly dissected. The primary tumor as well as lingual artery, tissues along the lingual artery and lymph nodes in the mouth floor were resected. χ2 test was used for comparison of count data, and linear regression model was used for multivariate analysis. Results: Cervical lymph node metastases were found in 136 patients (41.3%). Among 142 patients (T1-2cN0) with supraomohyoid neck dissection, 22 patients had pathologically occult lymph node metastases (15.5%), with a 5-year overall survival rate of 90.2%, which was similar to the 5-year overall survival rate of 92.1% in 120 patients without lymph node metastasis (χ2=0.156, P=0.693). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that T stage, clinical stage and unconventional lymph node metastasis were important factors for cervical lymph node metastasis in tongue cancer patients (P<0.05). Unconventional lymph node metastases occurred in 30 patients (9.1%), including the metastases of lymph nodes in the floor of mouth (3.0%), the lingual artery (2.4%), the base of the external maxillary artery (2.1%), the superior thyroid artery (0.9%), and the external carotid artery (0.6%). There were significant differences in the unconventional lymph node metastasis rates between patients with negative and positive conventional lymph node metastases [4.9%(10/203) vs. 15.9%(20/126), χ2=11.242, P=0.001] and also between patients with depth of invasion ≤5 mm, 5 mm 10 mm [3.1%(2/64) vs. 5.7%(6/106) vs. 13.8%(22/159), χ2=7.907, P=0.005]. Conclusion: Supraomohyoid neck dissection can achieve reliable control efficacy in patients with cN0 tongue cancer. All patients with lymph node dissection should undergo unconventional lymph node dissection. Unconventional lymph node dissection is strongly recommended for patients with conventional lymph node metastasis.

A CT-based integrated model for preoperative prediction of occult lymph node metastasis in early tongue cancer.

Background: Occult lymph node metastasis (OLNM) is an essential prognostic factor for early-stage tongue cancer (cT1-2N0M0) and a determinant of treatment decisions. Therefore, accurate prediction of OLNM can significantly impact the clinical management and outcomes of patients with tongue cancer. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a multiomics-based model to predict OLNM in patients with early-stage tongue cancer. Methods: The data of 125 patients diagnosed with early-stage tongue cancer (cT1-2N0M0) who underwent primary surgical treatment and elective neck dissection were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 100 patients were randomly assigned to the training set and 25 to the test set. The preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and clinical data on these patients were collected. Radiomics features were extracted from the primary tumor as the region of interest (ROI) on CT images, and correlation analysis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method were used to identify the most relevant features. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier was constructed and compared with other machine learning algorithms. With the same method, a clinical model was built and the peri-tumoral and intra-tumoral images were selected as the input for the deep learning model. The stacking ensemble technique was used to combine the multiple models. The predictive performance of the integrated model was evaluated for accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC), and compared with expert assessment. Internal validation was performed using a stratified five-fold cross-validation approach. Results: Of the 125 patients, 41 (32.8%) showed OLNM on postoperative pathological examination. The integrated model achieved higher predictive performance compared with the individual models, with an accuracy of 84%, a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 76.5%, and an AUC-ROC of 0.949 (95% CI [0.870-1.000]). In addition, the performance of the integrated model surpassed that of younger doctors and was comparable to the evaluation of experienced doctors. Conclusions: The multiomics-based model can accurately predict OLNM in patients with early-stage tongue cancer, and may serve as a valuable decision-making tool to determine the appropriate treatment and avoid unnecessary neck surgery in patients without OLNM.

Tongue prosthesis after total glossectomy: a case report.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the type of cancer that most frequently affects the oral cavity, mainly in men older than 50 years of age. Treatment for oral SCC often involves surgical excision of the affected margins, resulting in mutilation that affects the patient's quality of life. The objective of this case report is to describe the prosthetic treatment of a 56-year-old man who underwent total glossectomy, resulting in speech and swallowing difficulties. The proposed treatment was a tongue prosthesis retained by orthodontic clasps on the mandibular first molars. After maxillary and mandibular complete-arch impressions were performed and casts were prepared for prosthetic planning, an acrylic resin plate and 3 tongue prototypes were fabricated. Esthetic and functional tests were carried out, and 2 tongue models (1 for speech and 1 for eating) were selected for acrylization, finishing, and polishing. After placement of the prostheses, the patient was referred for follow-up with a speech therapist to improve his adaptation with the prostheses. The patient was satisfied with the prostheses and able to perform the functions of chewing, swallowing, and speech production, which helped in his social reintegration and improved his quality of life.

Stair-stepped mandibulotomy: Clinical indication, surgery program design, and operation points.

For radical treatment of malignancies in the posterior region of the oral cavity and oropharynx, surgical exposure of the tumor by mandibulotomy is often required. Midline or paramedian vertical mandibulotomies are commonly performed in clinical practice, but these can damage the suprahyoid musculature and genioglossus, and weaken the swallowing and speech function of patients. Stair-stepped mandibulotomy is a new procedure, developed on the principles of functional surgery, that preserves the structure and function of the mandible whilst providing a clear field and avoiding damage to critical muscle attachments. Stair-stepped mandibulotomy is suitable for patients whose primary tumor is located in the middle and posterior part of the tongue or oropharynx, especially if the lesion involves extrinsic tongue muscles. In this case report, we draw on 2 cases of typical patients in our center to elaborate the surgery program design, operation points, advantages and disadvantages of stair-stepped mandibulotomy.

Impact of Postoperative Radiotherapy on the Prognosis of Early-Stage (pT1-2N0M0) Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To identify subgroups of patients with early-stage (pT1-2N0M0) oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) who may benefit from postoperative radiotherapy (PORT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 528 patients diagnosed between October 2009 and December 2021. Clinicopathological characteristics and treatments with or without PORT were analyzed for their impact on outcomes. RESULTS: Among 528 patients who underwent radical surgery (median age, 62 years [IQR, 52-69]), 145 (27.5%) also underwent PORT. Multivariate analyses revealed that PORT was associated with improved survival outcomes, whereas moderate-to-poor differentiation, perineural infiltration (PNI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and increasing depth of invasion (DOI) were associated with poorer survival outcomes. For patients with moderate-to-poor differentiation, the surgery + PORT group showed improved outcomes compared with the surgery-alone group. After propensity score matching, the results were as follows: overall survival (OS), 97% versus 69%, P = .003; disease-free survival (DFS), 88% versus 50%, P = .001. After excluding cases with PNI/LVI, the differences persisted: OS, 97% versus 82%, P = .040; DFS, 87% versus 64%, P = .012. Similar survival benefits were observed in 104 patients with PNI and/or LVI (OS, 81% v 58%; P = .022; DFS, 76% v 47%; P = .002). In subgroups with DOI >5 mm or close margins, PORT contributed to improved DFS (80% v 64%; P = .006; 92% v 66%; P = .049) but did not significantly affect OS. CONCLUSION: Patients with moderately-to-poorly differentiated pT1-2N0M0 OTSCC benefited from PORT. Our study provided evidence that patients with PNI and/or LVI who underwent PORT had improved survival. PORT also offered DFS benefit among patients with DOI >5 mm.

Angiokeratoma of tongue in the pediatric age group: a rare presentation.

BACKGROUND: Angiokeratoma is a rare cutaneous presentation with unknown etiology. CASE PRESENTATION: A case of a 10-year male, who was presented to the ENT OPD with a swelling over the posterior aspect of the tongue. The chief complaints included growth on the right side of the posterior third of the tongue which was extending up to the base of the tongue on the same side. CONCLUSION: Excisional biopsy was taken and sent for histopathology which was suggestive of inflamed angiokeratoma. Post-excision there is no recurrence till date.

Prognostic factors in surgically treated tongue squamous cell carcinoma in stage T1-2N0-1M0: A retrospective analysis.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to retrospectively identify the prognostic factors of surgically treated primary tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) cases and assess the benefits of surgical neck lymph node dissection (LND) in early-stage cancer. METHODS: Patients with primary TSCC with pT1-2N0-1M0 stage without distant metastasis who were treated with surgery during 2014-2016 at Xiangya Hospital, Central South University were included. Univariate and multivariate Cox models were constructed to explore prognostic factors of overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS). Sub-group analysis was used to assess the effect of adjuvant therapy and the prognostic value of LND for the early-stage patients. RESULTS: In total, 440 patients met the inclusion criteria. During the follow-up period, the 5-year OS, DFS, were 84.4% and 70.0%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that TNM stage, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and/or perineural invasion (PNI), pathological differentiation, etc. were significant predictors of OS and DFS. Multivariate analysis showed that TNM stage and the degree of pathological differentiation were independent prognostic factors for all outcomes. Besides, the number of cervical LND could independently predict both DFS and LRFS while LVI/PNI were associated with DFS. And high-quality neck LND (≥30) significantly improved DFS and LRFS for patients of pT1cN0M0 or stage I as compared to those without LND. CONCLUSIONS: TNM stage and pathological differentiation were crucial prognostic factors for postoperative patients with TSCC. Notably, high-quality cervical LND was beneficial for the improvement of DFS and LRFS for patients of pT1cN0M0 or stage I.

Magnetic resonance imaging-based radiomics and deep learning models for predicting lymph node metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to establish a combined method of radiomics and deep learning (DL) in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict lymph node metastasis (LNM) preoperatively in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. STUDY DESIGN: In total, MR images of 196 patients with lingual squamous cell carcinoma were divided into training (n = 156) and test (n = 40) cohorts. Radiomics and DL features were extracted from MR images and selected to construct machine learning models. A DL radiomics nomogram was established via multivariate logistic regression by incorporating the radiomics signature, the DL signature, and MRI-reported LN status. RESULTS: Nine radiomics and 3 DL features were selected. In the radiomics test cohort, the multilayer perceptron model performed best with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.747, but in the DL cohort, the best model (logistic regression) performed less well (AUC = 0.655). The DL radiomics nomogram showed good calibration and performance with an AUC of 0.934 (outstanding discrimination ability) in the training cohort and 0.757 (acceptable discrimination ability) in the test cohort. The decision curve analysis demonstrated that the nomogram could offer more net benefit than a single radiomics or DL signature. CONCLUSION: The DL radiomics nomogram exhibited promising performance in predicting LNM, which facilitates personalized treatment of tongue cancer.

Airway protection and outcomes after staged versus concurrent bilateral neck dissections with transoral base of tongue cancer resection.

OBJECTIVES: To assess airway, safety, and resource utilization outcomes between transoral base of tongue (BOT) surgery with staged versus concurrent bilateral neck dissections (BND). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients with human papilloma virus (HPV)-related BOT cancer who underwent transoral surgery and BND from January 2015 through June 2022 was conducted. Free flap patients were excluded. RESULTS: Of 126 patients (46 [37%] staged and 80 [63%] concurrent BND), there were no significant differences in rates of postoperative intubation, tracheostomy, intensive care admission, operative takebacks, gastrostomy, and 30-day readmission. Total operative time (median difference 1.4 [95% CI 0.9-1.8] hours), length of stay (1.0 [1.0-1.0] day), and time between primary surgery and adjuvant therapy initiation (4.0 [0.0-8.0] days) were lower in the concurrent BND cohort. CONCLUSION: Concurrent BND alongside transoral BOT resection is safe with similar airway outcomes and lower total operative time, length of stay, and time to adjuvant therapy initiation compared to staged BND.

Influence of Social Vulnerability in Treatment and Prognosis of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tongue.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of social determinants of health (SDoH) in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue in the United States and to evaluate the real-world contribution of specific disparities. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: United States. METHODS: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and National Cancer Institute-Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database were used to study 62,103 adult tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients from 1975 to 2017. Regression analysis assessed trends in months of follow-up and survival across social vulnerability and 4 subcategories of social vulnerability. RESULTS: As overall SVI score increases (increased social vulnerability), there is a significant decrease in the average length of follow-up (22.95% decrease from 63.99 to 49.31 months; P < .001) across patients from the lowest and highest social vulnerability groups. As overall SVI score increases, there is a significant decrease in the average months of survival (28.00% decrease from 49.20 to 35.43 months; P < .001). There is also a significantly greater odds ratio (OR = 1.05; P < .001) of advanced cancer staging upon presentation at higher SVI scores. Patients with higher SVI scores have a lower OR (0.93; P < .001) of receiving surgery as their primary treatment when compared to patients with lower SVI scores. Patients with higher SVI scores also have a significantly greater OR (OR = 1.05; P < .001) of receiving chemotherapy as their primary treatment when compared to patients with lower SVI scores. CONCLUSION: Increased social vulnerability is shown to have a detrimental impact on the treatment and prognosis of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.

Transoral laser microsurgery for T1 glottic cancer with anterior commissure: Identifying clinical and radiological variables that predict oncological outcome.

PURPOSE: The involvement of the anterior commissure (AC) is regarded to be a risk factor for poor results after transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) for early glottic cancer. The objective of this study was to determine how AC-related clinical and radiological factors affected oncological outcomes in a cohort of patients with T1 stage early glottic carcinoma involving the anterior commissure who were treated with TLM with negative surgical margins. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed on clinical, radiological, and follow-up data of patients consecutively treated with TLM at a tertiary academic center between November 2011 and August 2021 for T1 glottic squamous cell carcinoma involving the anterior commissure. Recurrence-free survival (RFS), local control with laser alone (LCL), laryngeal preservation (LP), and overall survival (OS) rates (Kaplan-Meier) were the primary outcome metrics. RESULTS: In our series, 5-year OS probability was 75.1%, RFS was 64.8%, LCL was 73.8%, and LP was 83.4%. OS and RFS were higher in patients with early stages of AC pattern than in patients with advanced stage (p = 0.004, p = 0.034, respectively). Vertical extension ratio was found to be associated with OS and RFS (p = 0.023, p = 0.001, respectively), and thyroid cartilage interlaminar angle with LCL by multiple Cox regression analysis (p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: TLM remains a valuable treatment option for AC involvement. AC3 type involvement and elevated vertical extension ratio were associated with negative prognosis. There have been signs that thyroid cartilage with a narrow angle increases recurrence. Alternative modalities should be kept in mind in the treatment decision of these cases.

Risk factors for late postoperative bleeding after partial glossectomy for tongue cancer.

BACKGROUND: Partial glossectomy is the most common procedure for early-stage tongue cancer. Although late postoperative bleeding occasionally occurs, the associated risk factors have not been adequately identified. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the rate and risk factors for late postoperative bleeding after transoral partial glossectomy with or without neck dissection for tongue cancer at our institution. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analysed 211 patients who had undergone transoral partial glossectomy between January 2016 and January 2023. The potential risk factors associated with late postoperative bleeding were investigated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Of the 211 patients, 40 (19%) showed late postoperative bleeding, with 19 (9%) classified as grade IIIa (Clavien-Dindo classification). Regarding all grades, late postoperative bleeding was significantly higher in patients aged <70 years and in those with polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheets (p = .046 and .030, respectively). For grade ≥ IIIa, late postoperative bleeding was significantly higher in patients with a history of anticoagulant/platelet administration, a mucosal defect covered with fibrin glue and a PGA sheet (p = .045 and .026, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The findings of this study suggest that primary closure decreases the frequency of late postoperative bleeding.

[Establishment and verification of a prognostic nomogram for survival of tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent cervical dissection].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic significance of inflammatory biomarkers, prognostic nutritional index and clinicopathological characteristics in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) patients who underwent cervical dissection. METHODS: The retrospective cohort study consisted of 297 patients undergoing tumor resection for TSCC between January 2017 and July 2018. The study population was divided into the training set and validation set by 7 :3 randomly. The peripheral blood indices of interest were preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation score (SIS) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariable Cox regression analysis were used to evaluate independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). The nomogram's accuracy was internally validated using concordance index, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the curve (AUC), calibration plot and decision curve analysis. RESULTS: According to the univariate Cox regression analysis, clinical TNM stage, clinical T category, clinical N category, differentiation grade, depth of invasion (DOI), tumor size and pre-treatment PNI were the prognostic factors of TSCC. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that pre-treatment PNI, clinical N category, DOI and tumor size were independent prognostic factors for OS or DSS (P < 0.05). Positive neck nodal status (N≥1), PNI≤50.65 and DOI > 2.4 cm were associated with the poorer 5-year OS, while a positive neck nodal status (N≥1), PNI≤50.65 and tumor size > 3.4 cm were associated with poorer 5-year DSS. The concordance index of the nomograms based on independent prognostic factors was 0.708 (95%CI, 0.625-0.791) for OS and 0.717 (95%CI, 0.600-0.834) for DSS. The C-indexes for external validation of OS and DSS were 0.659 (95%CI, 0.550-0.767) and 0.780 (95%CI, 0.669-0.890), respectively. The 1-, 3- and 5-year time-dependent ROC analyses (AUC = 0.66, 0.71 and 0.72, and AUC = 0.68, 0.77 and 0.79, respectively) of the nomogram for the OS and DSS pronounced robust discriminative ability of the model. The calibration curves showed good agreement between the predicted and actual observations of OS and DSS, while the decision curve confirmed its pronounced application value. CONCLUSION: Pre-treatment PNI, clinical N category, DOI and tumor size can potentially be used to predict OS and DSS of patients with TSCC. The prognostic nomogram based on these variables exhibited good accurary in predicting OS and DSS in patients with TSCC who underwent cervical dissection. They are effective tools for predicting survival and helps to choose appropriate treatment strategies to improve the prognosis.

Implementing a deep learning model for automatic tongue tumour segmentation in ex-vivo 3-dimensional ultrasound volumes.

Three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound can assess the margins of resected tongue carcinoma during surgery. Manual segmentation (MS) is time-consuming, labour-intensive, and subject to operator variability. This study aims to investigate use of a 3D deep learning model for fast intraoperative segmentation of tongue carcinoma in 3D ultrasound volumes. Additionally, it investigates the clinical effect of automatic segmentation. A 3D No New U-Net (nnUNet) was trained on 113 manually annotated ultrasound volumes of resected tongue carcinoma. The model was implemented on a mobile workstation and clinically validated on 16 prospectively included tongue carcinoma patients. Different prediction settings were investigated. Automatic segmentations with multiple islands were adjusted by selecting the best-representing island. The final margin status (FMS) based on automatic, semi-automatic, and manual segmentation was computed and compared with the histopathological margin. The standard 3D nnUNet resulted in the best-performing automatic segmentation with a mean (SD) Dice volumetric score of 0.65 (0.30), Dice surface score of 0.73 (0.26), average surface distance of 0.44 (0.61) mm, Hausdorff distance of 6.65 (8.84) mm, and prediction time of 8 seconds. FMS based on automatic segmentation had a low correlation with histopathology (r = 0.12, p = 0.67); MS resulted in a moderate but insignificant correlation with histopathology (r = 0.4, p = 0.12, n = 16). Implementing the 3D nnUNet yielded fast, automatic segmentation of tongue carcinoma in 3D ultrasound volumes. Correlation between FMS and histopathology obtained from these segmentations was lower than the moderate correlation between MS and histopathology.

Tertiary lymphoid structures in tongue cancer: Association with clinicopathological parameters, preoperative S-1 chemotherapy response, and prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are observed in cancer-invasive sites of various organs, and show evidence of tumor-specific B and/or T cells, suggesting an active humoral antitumor response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between TLSs and prognosis in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) after preoperative S-1 chemotherapy. METHODS: Among 196 TSCC cases, 111 patients who received preoperative S-1 chemotherapy were compared to 85 patients who did not receive chemotherapy. We investigated the incidence of TLSs in both preoperative biopsy and resected specimens. RESULTS: TLSs were present in 24 (12%) biopsy specimens and 31 (16%) resected specimens. TLSs were associated with clinicopathologically advanced cases and positivity for lymphatic invasion. None of the cases with pStage 0 (i.e., noninvasive cancer) showed TLSs. In preoperative S-1 chemotherapy cases, TLSs were significantly more common in those treated with S-1 for more than 21 days and in those with treatment effects 0, Ia, and Ib. TLSs may not be a favorable prognostic factor by themselves but maybe a prognostic factor when combined with preoperative S-1 treatment. CONCLUSION: The presence of TLSs was suggested to be a factor indicating a favorable prognosis when considering the indication for preoperative S-1 chemotherapy. The synergistic effect of S-1 by activating antitumor immunity may be associated with a better prognosis in TSCC patients with TLSs.

Algorithmically designed flaps in tongue reconstruction: a feasibility analysis.

PURPOSE: Despite the significance and complexity of tongue reconstruction surgery, a digital tool for flap design is currently lacking. This study investigates the effectiveness of employing inverse finite element method (IFEM) for meticulously designing the geometric characteristics of harvested tissue (free flap) for tongue reconstruction. METHODS: In the case of an artificially simulated hemiglossectomy, IFEM algorithm was applied for algorithmic flap design. The method's effectiveness was evaluated by assessing flap deformation in a simplified virtual reconstruction, focusing on parameters such as stress, strain, and thickness. RESULTS: The IFEM algorithm successfully generated an optimal flap design for the intended surgical removal. Analysis of the flap's overall surface area, deformation characteristics, and safety margins demonstrated the feasibility of the deformation. Notably, the stress and thickness assessments suggested that the flap's tension post-surgery would not adversely affect the mobility of the reconstructed tongue, suggesting a positive outcome for functional recovery. CONCLUSION: The IFEM demonstrates significant potential as a tool for precise free flap design in tongue reconstruction surgeries. Its application could lead to improved surgical accuracy and better quality of life for patients undergoing such procedures.