Compartmental tongue resection with submental island flap reconstruction for large carcinoma of the oral tongue.

BACKGROUND: Tongue resection is a surgical challenge because of its adverse effects on language articulation, swallowing, respiration, the eventual quality of life, and poor prognosis of advanced disease. To date, the currently accepted standard treatment has been based on excision of the primary lesion with a 1.5-2-cm circumferential macroscopic margin. Compartmental tongue surgery (CTS) is a surgical technique that removes an anatomo-functional compartment containing the primary tumor. METHODS AND TECHNIQUES: This is a prospective study that was carried out from June 2012 to January 2015 for patients with carcinoma affecting oral tongue. We enrolled all cases with ≥T2 tongue cancer with or without infiltration of floor of the mouth. Patients underwent compartmental tongue resection with reconstruction using island submental flap. RESULTS: Pharyngeal tear occurred in two cases that were repaired by simple suture. Bleeding occurred in two cases with control of the affected vessels. Loco-regional recurrence was detected only in two cases that underwent CTS, while 18 patients who underwent traditional tongue resection had local recurrence. CONCLUSION: CTS via pull through technique with submental island flap reconstruction for large tongue cancer has been evolved to improve oncologic resections, obtaining a better local control of disease and increased survival rate with concomitant successful functional and esthetic outcomes especially in elderly patients with serious comorbidities.

Safety and esthetic outcomes of therapeutic mammoplasty using medial pedicle for early breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although therapeutic mammoplasty (TM) was introduced for treatment of localized ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive breast carcinoma (stages I and II) in females with large breast size, the suitability of medial pedicle TM for treatment of breast tumors at different locations has not been established. The objective of this study was to assess the safety and esthetic outcome of medial pedicle TM for breast tumors at different locations. METHODS: The study was conducted from February 2012 to July 2014. Consecutive patients with early breast carcinoma with medium- and large-sized breasts, with or without ptosis, who were offered medial pedicle TM were included in the study. Patients who were not candidates for breast-conserving surgery or those with tumors located along the medial pedicle were excluded. All patients received immediate postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. RESULTS: Thirty patients with a mean age of 48.5 years received medial pedicle TM in the breast harboring the tumor or, additionally, the other breast (N=14). The tumors were in the upper (60.0%), lower (26.7%), and lateral (13.3%) quadrants. Minor complications occurred in five cases (5/30, 16.7%) in the ipsilateral and in two (2/14, 14.3%) contralateral breasts. No wound dehiscence or areolar necrosis was recorded. A total of 22 (73.3%) patients were scored as excellent cosmesis. After a median follow-up of 20 months, no locoregional recurrence or distant metastases were observed. CONCLUSION: TM using a medial pedicle is a safe and appealing technique among women with tumors at different locations.

Irinotecan plus cisplatin chemotherapy followed by concurrent thoracic irradiation with low-dose weekly cisplatin for limited-disease small-cell lung cancer.

A phase II trial of irinotecan and cisplatin (IP) as induction chemotherapy followed by conventional thoracic irradiation concurrent with low-dose weekly cisplatin for limited-disease small-cell lung cancer (LDS-SCLC). Between February 2005 and December 2008, 34 chemotherapy-naïve patients with LD-SCLC were enrolled. Treatment consisted of two 21-day cycles of cisplatin 40 mg/m(2) and irinotecan 80 mg/m(2) intravenously (IV) on days 1 and 8 followed by conventional thoracic irradiation at a dose of 54 Gy concurrent with cisplatin at dose of 20 mg/m(2) weekly then prophylactic cranial irradiation at dose of 30 Gy in 10 fractions for those achieved complete or partial response. Only 33 patients received the treatment protocol, and they were assessed for response and toxicity. After induction chemotherapy, overall response rate was (72.73%). After median follow-up of 27 months, the median survival was 25 months (95% CI, 21.249-28.751) with 1 and 2-year overall survival rates of 83 and 55%, respectively. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 15 months (95% CI, 10.311-19.689) with a 1- and 2-year PFS of 59 and 38%, respectively. The most common toxicities during induction chemotherapy were neutropenia (81%), thrombocytopenia (69%), and diarrhea (63%) while esophagitis (84%) and pneumonitis (30%) were the most common toxicities during concurrent chemo-radiation. Relapse rate was 61% with distant metastasis in 42% and local recurrence in 26%. This protocol of induction irinotecon-based regimen followed by delayed concurrent thoracic irradiation with low-dose weekly cisplatin is effective with acceptable toxicities. Based on the favorable outcome in this trial, this regimen should be evaluated in a large phase III trial.