Effectiveness of treatment of oropharyngeal carcinoma patients.

OBJECTIVE: Aim: To analyze the results of treatment of patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods: 276 patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma were treated in 2008-2021. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisted of three to six cycles: paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 and carboplatin 350 mg/m2 (or cisplatin 100 mg/m2) on the first day. The interval between cycles was 21 days. After the cycles, all patients were prescribed a course of radiation therapy in a total focal dose (TFD) of 65 Gy. The outcome of treatment was assessed by the degree of tumor regression according to RECIST criteria one month after the end of combination treatment. Statistical processing was performed using STATISTICA 6.1 software (StatSoftInc). RESULTS: Results: The three- and five-year survival rates of the examined patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma after treatment were 40.8% respectively (95% CI 33.7 - 47.9) and 27.0%, (95% CI 20.6 - 33, 4) with a median survival of 36 months with 95% CI (35.5 - 40.2). Processing was performed using STATISTICA 6.1 software (StatSoftInc). CONCLUSION: Сonclusions: Analysis of treatment of patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma with predominance of squamous cell carcinoma (90.6%), localized primarily in the palatine tonsil (73.2%), with the most common stages T3N1M0 (30.1%) and T3N1M0 %), with regional metastases to the lymph nodes of the neck (89.9%), showed that the effectiveness of treatment of patients is quite high, because in most of the examined in the short term after combined treatment there was complete or partial regression of the tumor (91.7%), no progression of the oncological process was detected in any of them.

Analysis of expression of p63 and caspase-3 and their predictive value in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of maxillary sinus.

OBJECTIVE: Introduction: Maxillary sinus cancer is a malignant neoplasm with a prevalence of 3 to 5% of tumors in the head and neck and less than 1% of all malignant neoplasms. The role of p63 and caspase-3 and their predictive value in squamous cell carcinoma of maxillary sinus (SCCMS) remains an underdeveloped and controversial issue that determined the relevance of the study. The aim: To analyze the relationship between the level of expression of p63 and caspase-3 and clinical and morphological characteristics of squamous cell carcinoma of maxillary sinus and to determine their prognostic significance as immunohistochemical markers of tumor progression (relapse and metastases). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: A comprehensive investigation with immunohistochemical study of squamous cell carcinoma of maxillary sinus of 103 patients with maxillary sinus cancer II - IV stage (T2-4 N0-3 M0) of the second clinical group was conducted. RESULTS: Results: The moderate and high expression rate of caspase-3 in the overall sample was 50.49% and 16.50% respectively, and one third of cases (33.01%) was characterized by a weak reaction. In the group without metastases (p <0.001), moderate expression of the marker (56.25%) prevailed; in the SCCMS group with metastases it was (60.87%). The mean level of expression of p63 in the examined patients with squamous cell carcinoma of maxillary sinus was 46.0%. The number of p63-positive specimens was statistically significantly (p = 0.034) higher in the SCCMS group with metastases. In patients with the development of squamous cell carcinoma of maxilla on the background of papilloma, a significantly higher (p <0.001) mean level of p63 expression was only moderate (90.91%) and high (9.09%). CONCLUSION: Conclusions: There was observed a relatively strong associate of the increase in the expression of caspase-3 with SCCMS metastases (p <0.001) and no correlation of immunohistochemical reaction of this marker with relapses. There was determined that the probability of metastases at high expression level of p63 is higher than in tumors with low and moderate level of the oncoprotein (p = 0.003). Based on the level of expression of p63, it is possible to predict the likelihood of development of SCCMS with papillomas (p <0.001); and the development of relapses of squamous cell carcinoma of maxillary sinus (p <0.001).