Tumor volume as a predictor of survival in T3 glottic carcinoma: A novel approach to patient selection.

BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment for T3 glottic cancers continues to be debated. Organ preservation has become the standard of care, but not all tumors respond equally. The purpose of this was to investigate the long-term survival outcomes of organ preservation protocols based on tumor volume. METHODS: A retrospective review of prospectively collected data from 1966 to 2016 was performed. Patients with T3 vocal cord cancer treated with radiation therapy (RT) at the University of Florida were included. Local control rates as well as survival rates were determined with a Kaplan Meier and Cox regression analysis. Survival was analyzed as a function of tumor volume and an optimal cut point was determined. RESULTS: 107/234 patients were included. 79% received RT and 21% chemo-RT. 5-year local control was 61.5% and 5-year disease specific survival was 79.3%. Tumor volume was a significant predictor of survival (p = 0.007). An optimal cut point for tumor volume was 2.5 cc. Patients with tumor volumes ≥2.5 cc had significantly worse (p < 0.05) tumor control rates (100% vs. 70.4%). CONCLUSION: Tumor volume is a significant predictor of survival outcomes in T3 vocal cord cancers, but will need external validation. Tumors <2.5 cc have favorable outcomes. Those with higher volume tumors should be counselled appropriately and be considered for primary surgical management.

Measurement of fetal biparietal diameter in owl monkeys (Aotus nancymaae).

Owl monkeys are New World primates frequently used in biomedical research. Despite the historical difficulty of breeding owl monkeys in captivity, several productive owl monkey breeding colonies exist currently. The animals in the colony we describe here are not timed-pregnant, and determination of gestational age is an important factor in prenatal care. Gestational age of human fetuses is often determined by using transabdominal measurements of fetal biparietal diameter. The purpose of this study was to correlate biparietal diameter measurements with gestational age in owl monkeys. We found that biparietal diameter can be used to accurately predict gestational age in owl monkeys.

Systematic analysis of microRNA expression of RNA extracted from fresh frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding small RNAs that regulate gene expression at the translational level by mainly interacting with 3' UTRs of their target mRNAs. Archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens represent excellent resources for biomarker discovery. Currently there is a lack of systematic analysis on the stability of miRNAs and optimized conditions for expression analysis using FFPE samples. In this study, the expression of miRNAs from FFPE samples was analyzed using high-throughput locked nucleic acid-based miRNA arrays. The effect of formalin fixation on the stability of miRNAs was also investigated using miRNA real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. The stability of miRNAs of archived colorectal cancer FFPE specimens was characterized with samples dating back up to 10 yr. Our results showed that the expression profiles of miRNAs were in good correlation between 1 mug of fresh frozen and 1-5 mug of FFPE samples (correlation coefficient R (2) = 0.86-0.89). Different formalin fixation times did not change the stability of miRNAs based on real-time qRT-PCR analysis. There are no significant differences of representative miRNA expression among 40 colorectal cancer FFPE specimens. This study provides a foundation for miRNA investigation using FFPE samples in cancer and other types of diseases.

External auditory canal stenosis after radiation therapy.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the risk of external auditory canal stenosis from external-beam radiation therapy is dose dependent. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: The presence of external auditory canal disease was recorded for patients who received low-dose (e.g., lymphoma [20-40 Gy]), medium-dose (e.g., chemodectoma [40-55 Gy]), or high-dose (e.g., parotid and nasopharyngeal neoplasms [55-75 Gy]) external-beam radiation therapy from 6 months to over 8 years following treatment. The incidence of external auditory canal disease was compared between groups. RESULTS: None of 13 low-dose, none of 19 medium-dose, and 8 of 91 (8.7%) high-dose external-beam radiation therapy subjects developed ipsilateral external auditory canal stenosis. No external auditory canal stenosis developed in patients treated with high-dose external-beam radiation therapy in the absence of parotid surgery. External auditory canal stenosis developed only in patients treated with parotidectomy and high-dose external-beam radiation therapy (P =.0059), and all of these cases of external auditory canal stenosis developed within 3 years of radiation therapy. CONCLUSIONS: High dose external-beam radiation therapy alone does not significantly predispose patients to external auditory canal stenosis. However, combined high-dose external-beam radiation therapy and surgery around the external auditory canal do significantly increase the risk of external auditory canal stenosis.