Autoinflation compared to ventilation tubes for treating chronic otitis media with effusion.

BACKGROUND: Otitis media with effusion (OME) is the most common cause of acquired hearing loss and surgery in children. Autoinflation has been suggested as an alternative treatment for OME. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to compare treatment outcome with a new autoinflation device versus ventilation tube (VT) surgery or watchful waiting in children with chronic bilateral OME from the waiting list for surgery. METHODS: Forty-five children performed autoinflation during four weeks, forty-five were submitted to VT surgery, and twenty-three were enrolled as control group. Tympanometry was performed in the autoinflation and the control groups and audiometry in all groups. RESULTS: An equivalent hearing improvement was achieved in the autoinflation and the VT group at one (p=.19), six (p=.23) and twelve (p=.31) months with no significant alteration in the control group. In the autoinflation group 80% of the children avoided surgery and no complications were reported compared to 34% complication rate in the VT group. CONCLUSION: Autoinflation achieved an equivalent improvement in hearing thresholds compared to VT surgery for treating OME. SIGNIFICANCE: Autoinflation may be a reasonable first-line treatment for children with OME to potentially avoid surgery.Article Summary: The Moniri autoinflation device is well tolerated and an effective alternative to ventilation tubes for treatment of chronic otitis media with effusion in young children.What's known on this subject: Previous studies have shown that autoinflation may reduce effusion in children with otitis media with effusion; however limited compliance to treatment, lack of adequate hearing evaluation, short follow-up time and also lack of comparative data to ventilation tube surgery have been reported.What this study adds: A new device was developed to allow for the performance of autoinflation in young children. The effect is compared to ventilation tube surgery and equivalent improvement in hearing is achieved in the short and the long-term follow-up.

CD4-positive lymphoepithelial-like carcinoma: Report of unusual case.

We are reporting an unusual case of lymphoepithelial-like carcinoma (LELC) in an 8-year-old female patient where the tumor cells showed unusual CD4 expression. The lesion was found in the left submandibular neck region, in the vicinity of the submandibular gland. The salivary gland was not infiltrated by the tumor, and the tumor exhibited a classic LELC with single and clusters of tumor cells surrounded by many hematolymphoid cells. The tumor cells revealed strong positivity for Epstein-Bar virus as confirmed by the EBER: Epstein-Barr Virus in situ hybridization (EBER-ISH) method of staining. Interestingly, the tumor cells expressed membranous immunostaining for the T-helper lymphocyte antibody (CD4) in addition to pan-cytokeratin. A brief discussion about this unusual finding is offered. The patient was treated as a case of Epstein-Bar virus-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma with excellent response.

Clinical relevance of breast cancer-related genes as potential biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) is a common cancer form with relatively low 5-year survival rates, due partially to late detection and lack of complementary molecular markers as targets for treatment. Molecular profiling of head and neck cancer has revealed biological similarities with basal-like breast and lung carcinoma. Recently, we showed that 16 genes were consistently altered in invasive breast tumors displaying varying degrees of aggressiveness. METHODS: To extend our findings from breast cancer to another cancer type with similar characteristics, we performed an integrative analysis of transcriptomic and proteomic data to evaluate the prognostic significance of the 16 putative breast cancer-related biomarkers in OSCC using independent microarray datasets and immunohistochemistry. Predictive models for disease-specific (DSS) and/or overall survival (OS) were calculated for each marker using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: We found that CBX2, SCUBE2, and STK32B protein expression were associated with important clinicopathological features for OSCC (peritumoral inflammatory infiltration, metastatic spread to the cervical lymph nodes, and tumor size). Consequently, SCUBE2 and STK32B are involved in the hedgehog signaling pathway which plays a pivotal role in metastasis and angiogenesis in cancer. In addition, CNTNAP2 and S100A8 protein expression were correlated with DSS and OS, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these candidates and the hedgehog signaling pathway may be putative targets for drug development and clinical management of OSCC patients.

Additive effect of the AZGP1, PIP, S100A8 and UBE2C molecular biomarkers improves outcome prediction in breast carcinoma.

The deregulation of key cellular pathways is fundamental for the survival and expansion of neoplastic cells, which in turn can have a detrimental effect on patient outcome. To develop effective individualized cancer therapies, we need to have a better understanding of which cellular pathways are perturbed in a genetically defined subgroup of patients. Here, we validate the prognostic value of a 13-marker signature in independent gene expression microarray datasets (n = 1,141) and immunohistochemistry with full-faced FFPE samples (n = 71). The predictive performance of individual markers and panels containing multiple markers was assessed using Cox regression analysis. In the external gene expression dataset, six of the 13 genes (AZGP1, NME5, S100A8, SCUBE2, STC2 and UBE2C) retained their prognostic potential and were significantly associated with disease-free survival (p < 0.001). Protein analyses refined the signature to a four-marker panel [AZGP1, Prolactin-inducible protein (PIP), S100A8 and UBE2C] significantly correlated with cycling, high grade tumors and lower disease-specific survival rates. AZGP1 and PIP were found in significantly lower levels in invasive breast tissue as compared with adjacent normal tissue, whereas elevated levels of S100A8 and UBE2C were observed. A predictive model containing the four-marker panel in conjunction with established clinical variables outperformed a model containing the clinical variables alone. Our findings suggest that deregulated AZGP1, PIP, S100A8 and UBE2C are critical for the aggressive breast cancer phenotype, which may be useful as novel therapeutic targets for drug development to complement established clinical variables.

Replacement of a tracheal stenosis with a tissue-engineered human trachea using autologous stem cells: a case report.

Cell-based therapies involving tissue engineering represent interesting and potentially important strategies for the treatment of patients with various disorders. In this study, using a detergent-enzymatic method, we prepared an intact three-dimensional scaffold of an extracellular matrix derived from a human cadaver donor trachea, which we repopulated with autologous stem cells and implanted into a 76-year-old patient with tracheal stenosis including the lower part of the larynx. Although the graft provided the patient with an open airway, a week after the surgery, the mucous membrane of the graft was covered by a 1-2 mm thick fungal infection, which was treated with local and systemic antifungal therapy. The airway lumen was postoperatively controlled by fiber endoscopy and found stable and sufficient. However, after 23 days, the patient died due to cardiac arrest but with a patent, open, and stable tracheal transplant and intact anastomoses. Histopathological results of the transplanted tracheal graft during autopsy showed a squamous but not ciliated epithelium, neovascularization, bundles of α-sma-positive muscle cells, serous glands, and nerve fibers with S-100-positive nerve cells in the submucosa and intact chondrocytes in the cartilage. Our findings suggest that although autologous stem cells-engineered tracheal matrices may represent a tool for clinical tracheal replacement, further preclinical studies are required for generating functional airway grafts and long-term effects of such grafts.

Survival outcome depending on different treatment strategies in advanced stages III and IV laryngeal cancers: an audit of data from two European centres.

In light of continued uncertainty regarding efficacy of treatment of Stages III and IV laryngeal tumours, this study aims to evaluate organ-preservation strategies, comprising radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy versus surgical treatment (laryngectomy ± adjuvant treatment) by encompassing the long-established practice at two internationally acclaimed tertiary centres not previously presented in published literature. Retrospective review was conducted of non-randomised prospectively maintained Stages III and IV disease patient databases at two tertiary centres: Sahlgrenska University Hospital (SU) in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) in Aberdeen, Scotland. Primary outcome measures included 3-year overall, disease-specific survival and local control depending on treatment. A total of 176 patients were identified. Sixty-five patients (37 %) presented with Stage III tumours, of which 51 patients received organ-preserving treatment and 14 underwent total laryngectomy. The corresponding figures for the 111 patients (63 %) presenting with Stage IV disease were 42 and 69. Three-year overall and disease-specific survival for Stage III was 58 and 73 %, respectively. The corresponding figures for Stage IV disease were 42 and 53 %. The choice of treatment did not appear to significantly influence survival for Stage III (p = 0.56) or IV (p = 0.93) disease. The choice of treatment, whether organ preservation or surgery, does not seem to significantly influence the overall or disease-specific survival. Therefore, other factors such as quality of life and voice and efficacy of salvage treatments are perhaps more likely to indicate the preferred treatment options, but larger randomised trials are needed.

T but not N stage predicts survival for patients with tonsillar carcinoma treated with external radiotherapy and brachytherapy.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to determine the efficacy of a therapeutic schedule including external radiation and brachytherapy in a consecutive and retrospective series of tonsillar carcinoma patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-six patients with tonsillar carcinoma were treated between 1988 and 2000 and were followed up for at least for three years. All patients were treated with accelerated hyperfractionated external radiotherapy, 68 patients had additional brachytherapy and 69 patients with advanced stages also received chemotherapy. There was no planned surgery even though 73% had N+ disease. Eleven patients with persistent neck nodes underwent ultimate salvage surgery. RESULTS: The overall three-year survival (OS) was 70%. OS for the T stage was T1 90%, T2 89%, T3 54% and T4 60%. The corresponding numbers for the N stage were N0 61.5%, N1 73%, N2 78% and N3 66%. Accordingly OS was influenced by the T stage (p>0.001) rather than by N stage. Only four patients with salvage surgery had viable tumour cells in the specimen, their survival was not inferior. DISCUSSION: The primary tumour stage is an essential determinant for survival in patients with irradiated tonsillar carcinoma. Neck dissection should be confined only as a salvage procedure.

Mucosal secretion changes during radiotherapy in the oral cavity.

Mucositis in the oral cavity is a serious complication during radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, causing local discomfort and pain. In severe cases, hospitalization and interruption of radiotherapy may be necessary. The pathogenesis of this mucositis is not clear. With the purpose of getting more understanding of the pathogenesis of the mucositis, we examined the mucosal secretion from ten patients during radiotherapy with an imprint technique. In the secretion we studied the cellular composition and cellular function. In eight of ten treated patients the numbers of granulocytes increased in the secretion after 2 weeks of radiation therapy. The granulocytes, however, did not show any signs of phagocytosis. The patients all developed mucositis. We propose that the granulocytes in the secretion might play an important role in the development of mucositis during radiotherapy.

Obstructive sleep apnea caused by bilateral vocal fold paralysis.

We describe the case of a woman who had been referred to us with a history of breathing difficulties and snoring and a suspicion of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Our investigation revealed that she did indeed have severe OSA in addition to undiagnosed bilateral vocal fold paralysis of unknown origin. Nocturnal polysomnography found that her apnea/hypopnea index was 120 and her minimum arterial oxygen saturation level was 63%. She was treated with laterofixation of the right vocal fold, and her OSA resolved immediately. During 10 years of follow-up with nocturnal polysomnogrpahy, no recurrence of apnea or low oxygen saturation levels was noted. However, she did experience a recurrence of her snoring 4 years postoperatively, along with the onset of progressively worsening daytime fatigue. When these conditions persisted, we performed a repeat laterofixation of the same vocal fold. Following the repeat surgery, subjectively and objectively assessed results were good.