Advancing head and neck cancer management: Unveiling the diagnostic and therapeutic potentials of molecular profiling.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck cancers (HNC) present diagnostic challenges due to multifocal disease manifestations, posing difficulties in distinguishing between metastatic disease and second primary malignancies (SPM). This complexity underscores the need for advanced diagnostic approaches. Emerging technologies, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and molecular classifier assays, show promise in providing precise insights into the diverse etiologies of HNC. METHOD: In this article, we employed NGS and molecular classifier assays to delve into three distinct clinical cases. The objective was to showcase the instrumental role of these technologies in facilitating accurate diagnoses and differentiating between metastatic disease and SPM in HNC cases. RESULTS: The results of this series highlight the effectiveness of NGS and molecular classifier assays in enhancing diagnostic accuracy for HNC and contributing to the precise differentiation of disease etiologies. The utilization of these advanced technologies proved instrumental in avoiding unnecessary interventions and paved the way for more targeted and effective treatment strategies. CONCLUSION: Our findings underscore the necessity of incorporating advanced molecular testing technologies into the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for HNC, thereby championing a more nuanced and effective approach to managing these complex cases.

Ectopic abdominal pregnancy on the ascending colon.

A 25-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with acute abdominal pain and amenorrhea. The vaginal ultrasound showed a right para-adnexal mass with a living embryo. An abdominal pregnancy on the ascending colon was found in the laparotomy. The management included removing the gestational sac and treatment with methotrexate.

Malignant mixed tumour of the parotid gland in a preterm neonate with cytomegalovirus infection.

A young pregnant woman presented to the emergency department with acute lower abdominal pain. The ultrasound examination showed not only a viable fetus with a gestational age of 24 weeks but also a heteroechoic mass of about 7×7 cm involving parts of the face. The patient was found to be in active labour with rapid progression, and she gave birth to a dead female neonate. The autopsy showed a large malignant mixed tumour of the left parotid gland and revealed infection with cytomegalovirus. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a malignant mixed tumour of salivary glands in fetuses.