Optimising Patient Outcomes in Tongue Cancer: A Multidisciplinary Approach.

A multidisciplinary approach to the management of tongue cancer is vital for achieving optimal patient outcomes. Nursing and allied health professionals play essential roles within the team. We developed symposia comprising a series of online lectures offering a detailed perspective on the role each discipline and consumer perspective has in the management of patients with tongue cancer. The topics, including epidemiology and prevention, diagnosis, treatment planning, surgery, adjuvant care, and the management of recurrent or metastatic disease, were thoroughly examined. The symposia highlighted the significance of fostering collaboration and continuous learning through a multidisciplinary approach. This initiative should be relevant to healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers striving to enhance patient outcomes in tongue cancer care through innovative collaboration.

Gout of the temporomandibular joint and review of the literature.

Gout is a disease characterised by abnormal deposition of monosodium urate crystals, typically affecting the extremities. This report describes a rare case of gout affecting the left temporomandibular joint with erosion of the skull base. A diagnosis of gout was suspected based on CT and MRI and confirmed with CT-guided biopsy. The temporomandibular joint is an uncommon location for a first presentation of gout, with very few cases documented and only three cases of skull base involvement reported in the English literature previously. Given its radiological appearance, it can easily be misdiagnosed as other erosive arthropathies or malignancy. Our paper highlights an unusual location for the first and only manifestation of gout and offers some diagnostic and treatment ideas that may help clinicians to identify and manage this disease.

Contralateral neck failure in oral tongue cancer: Outcomes from two centers using predefined treatment criteria.

BACKGROUND: The objective was to determine the incidence of, and factors associated with contralateral neck failure (CNF) in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). METHODS: Consecutive patients with OTSCC between 2007 and 2016 were included. The predefined policy of the contralateral neck included neck dissection (ND) where the primary tumor extended/crossed midline or the contralateral neck was involved; and elective nodal irradiation (ENI) where the primary tumor was ≤1 cm from midline/2 cm from tip. RESULTS: This study included 258 patients. ND was ipsilateral 169 (66%) and bilateral 33 (13%). Fifty-five patients (21%) received ENI to the undissected contralateral neck. CNF occurred in 19 patients (7%) and was similar by treatment received. Utilizing this approach, we observed higher rates of CNF with increasing N classification, perineural invasion, extracapsular extension, and depth of invasion ≥6 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Using our institutional policy of treatment to the contralateral neck, a low rate of CNF (≤10%) was observed.

Opercular perivascular cysts: A proposed new subtype of dilated perivascular spaces.

PURPOSE: Dilated perivascular spaces are a common finding on brain MRI, traditionally classified into three types based on location and relationship to vessels. Recent studies have characterised an additional variant of dilated perivascular spaces that arise within the anterior temporal lobe and have unique neuroimaging features. These particular perivascular spaces are associated with a vascular loop of a branch of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and commonly demonstrate perilesional T2/FLAIR signal. To our knowledge, these have not previously been described in the frontal lobe. METHOD: Dilated perivascular spaces associated with a vascular loop of a branch of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) identified at our institution were reviewed for imaging characteristics and anatomical location. RESULTS: 18 cases were identified. 16 were located in the anterior temporal lobe and two were located in the frontal operculum. All demonstrated internal signal characteristics identical to CSF on all sequences, with no contrast enhancement or susceptibility artefact and variable perilesional T2/FLAIR signal. CONCLUSIONS: We report further evidence of a distinct subtype of dilated perivascular spaces occurring in the anterior temporal lobe in association with a vascular loop of a branch of the MCA. In addition, we have demonstrated that these may also occur in the frontal operculum. We therefore suggest that these dilated perivascular spaces of the operculum be recognised as a separate, fourth, subtype of perivascular space and propose the term "opercular perivascular cyst".

Impact of histological Oral Tongue Cancer margins on locoregional recurrence: A multi-centre retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of the histological margins (HM) upon locoregional failure (LRF) and overall survival (OS) for oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We undertook a retrospective review of 258 patients, across two institutions, treated for OTSCC between 2007 and 2016. A Cox-proportional hazards model was used to compare the relative hazard ratio of HM to the accepted standard of 5 mm margins for LRF and OS. RESULTS: The median follow up period was 4.8 years. The 5 year OS and freedom from LRF were 69% and 75% respectively. The Cox-proportional hazards model adjusted for age, DOI and LVI showed increasing risk of mortality and LRF with decreasing HM widths of <5 mm. CONCLUSION: HM >5 mm were associated with a risk reduction of both LRF and mortality in OTSCC. This study supports >5 mm HM being the oncologic goal of surgery.

The evolution of cerebrovascular changes in Köhlmeier-Degos disease: An 11-year follow-up case report.

Köhlmeier-Degos disease is rare idiopathic vasculopathy, the exact pathogenesis of which remains unclear. Here, we review pertinent literatutre and present a case of a Köhlmeier-Degos disease with central nervous system involvement followed-up over 11 years with various neuroimaging modalities. Evolution of neurovascular and neuropathological changes over an extended time period has not been previously described.

A case of conus medullaris teratoma.

In this report, we present a case of an adult patient with a mature teratoma of the conus medullaris. The patient was a 29-year-old postpartum female patient who developed unexplained urinary retention. Lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination revealed an intradural partly enhancing mixed cystic and solid lesion with intralesional intrinsic T1 hyperintense components that were suppressed on fat suppressed sequences, inseparable from the conus medullaris. Surgical resection was performed and histopathology findings were consistent with a mature teratoma. The patient made a complete recovery.