Analyzing HALP and PNI scores as prognostic factors in metastatic head and neck cancers.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the prognostic significance of Hemoglobin, Albumin, Lymphocyte, Platelet (HALP) score and Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) in metastatic head and neck cancers. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was conducted on data obtained from January 2014 to June 2022 for 68 patients using rigorous statistical methods. HALP and PNI scores, derived from routine laboratory parameters, were categorized into low and high groups using respective median values. Prognostic significance was determined through Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and Cox proportional hazards regression using IBM SPSS Statistics. RESULTS: Of the 68 patients (80.9% male, median age 57), 39 (57.4%) had laryngeal cancer. When stratified by low and high HALP scores, the median overall survival (OS) was 5.9 and 16.4 months, respectively (P < 0.001), while the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.7 months and 8.2 months, respectively (P: 0.016). In the low and high PNI score groups, the median OS was 7 and 13.2 months (P < 0.001), with median PFS of 5.6 months and 8.2 months (P: 0.002), respectively. In the multivariate analysis, while the HALP score did not reach statistical significance in terms of PFS, the PNI score and age groups were found to be statistically significant. In terms of OS, higher HALP score and PNI scores were significantly associated with longer OS. CONCLUSION: In this study, the HALP score and PNI score were found to be a prognostic factor in patients with metastatic head and neck cancer.

Infected Concha Bullosa with Fungus.

INTRODUCTION: Concha bullosa is the most common variation of the middle turbinate of the paranasal sinuses. When it causes nasal obstruction, osteomeatal unit dysfunction, or rarely chronic infection, surgery is required. CASE REPORT: We present a fungal infection of concha bullosa, which is a rare indication for surgery of the concha bullosa. A 59-year-old female patient presented with hemifacial pain on the right side, which had lasted for 2 months. There were no pathological findings in her endoscopic nasal examination. Advanced examination by paranasal computed tomography (CT) revealed bilateral concha bullosa variation and soft tissue density in the right concha bullosa. As the biopsy taken from concha bullosa demonstrated fungal hyphae, endoscopic surgical treatment was performed. CONCLUSION: We stress the importance of the CT in hemifacial pain by this rare case report, in which endoscopic nasal examination was normal. Fungal infection in the concha bullosa is rare, and infected concha bullosa is a pathology to be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients with complaints of hemicranial headache.