Chronic invasive fungal rhinosinusitis and granulomatous invasive fungal sinusitis: A systematic review of symptomatology and outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (CIFRS) and granulomatous invasive fungal sinusitis are two uncommon diseases differentiated primarily by the pathologic finding of non-caseating granulomas in GIFRS. Both share many similarities in presentation. We aim to characterize the symptomatology and outcomes of these diseases. METHODS: A comprehensive search strategy was designed to identify studies in the Cochrane, EMBASE and PubMed databases from database inception to January 2022. Inclusion criteria included all patients with a diagnosis of either CIFRS or GIFRS. All studies were screened by two reviewers. Chi-square analyses were used where appropriate. RESULTS: 51 studies were included totaling 513 patients. The majority were diagnosed with CIFRS (389, 75.8 %) compared to GIFRS (124, 24.4 %). CIFRS was more common in immunocompromised or diabetic patients (p < 0.0001; p = 0.02). Patients with CIFRS were more likely to exhibit nasal symptoms including discharge (p = 0.0001), obstruction (p = 0.03) and congestion (p = 0.001) as well as systemic symptoms including fever, which no GIFRS patient exhibited, facial pain (p = 0.007), headache (p = 0.004). Aspergillus was the most common organism identified in both groups with a slight predominance among GIFRS patients (p = 0.01). GIFRS patients were also more likely to present with no identifiable organisms (p = 0.0006). CIFRS patients were more likely to die of disease (p = 0.0008). CONCLUSIONS: CIFRS generally presents with more symptoms and is associated with poorer outcomes primarily occurring in an immunocompromised population. GIFRS likely follows a more insidious course in immunocompetent patients. Understanding the key differences in symptomatology and outcomes for these two populations is critical for appropriate diagnosis and prognostication.

Effect of obesity on outcomes after open laryngeal surgery including total laryngectomy: A NSQIP database analysis.

BACKGROUND: The impact of obesity on outcomes after open laryngeal surgery has not been well-described. METHODS: The NSQIP database was queried for all open laryngeal surgeries including total laryngectomies between 2005 and 2018. Outcomes of patients identified as obese or nonobese by BMI were compared. RESULTS: Of 1865 patients, 20.1% classified as obese. The most common operation performed was total laryngectomy with or without radical neck dissection (73.2%). Operation time and length of hospital stay were significantly less for obese patients. On multivariate analysis, obesity was associated with less bleeding transfusions occurrences (aOR, 0.395, p = 0.0052), surgical complications (aOR, 0.604, p < 0.001), and any complication (aOR, 0.730, p = 0.0019). CONCLUSION: Though there may be an inverse association of obesity with complications and bleeding transfusion occurrences, as well as decreased operation time and length of hospital stay, several confounders and bias may exist; therefore, it is difficult to conclude that the obesity paradox is present.

Facility volume and survival: Human papilloma virus positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: To analyze the impact of facility volume on survival for human papilloma virus positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV+ OPSCC) patients. METHODS: Patients treated for HPV+ OPSCC from 2010 to 2017 were queried from the National Cancer Database. Facilities of average annual case volume <50th percentile were categorized as low-volume (LV) and >95th percentile as high-volume (HV). RESULTS: 11,546 were included, with 10,305 patients (89.3 %) treated at LV and 1241 (10.7 %) at HV facilities. A greater proportion of cases involving resection of base of tongue and lingual tonsil were treated at HV (30.3 %) compared to LV (22.3 %) facilities (p < 0.001). Patients treated at a HV facility had greater percentage of clinical T4 (11.2 % vs. 8.6 %, p = 0.001) and N+ disease (90.5 % vs. 85.7 %, p < 0.001) patients. Survival analysis showed no statistically significant difference between five-year overall survival rates by facility volume (p = 0.388) for all patients. On multivariable analysis, facility volume was not associated with survival (HR: 0.968 [0.758-1.235], p = 0.791). These trends were found for both patients undergoing primary surgery or chemoradiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Our data indicates that patients with HPV+ OPSCC do not experience a survival benefit with treatment at HV facility, suggesting these patients may be adequately treated at LV centers.

Association of patient characteristics, ultrasound features, and molecular testing with malignancy risk in Bethesda III-V thyroid nodules.

Objective: To evaluate the role of patient characteristics, ultrasound findings, and molecular testing in predicting risk of malignancy in Bethesda III, IV, and V thyroid nodules. Design: Single institution retrospective review of 230 patients with Bethesda III, IV, and V cytopathology undergoing thyroidectomy between 2009 and 2018. Setting: Private and public tertiary urban university hospitals at the same academic institution. Subjects and methods: Patients who underwent thyroidectomy with Bethesda III, IV, and V nodules were included. Patient demographics, presence of underlying thyroid disease, nodule size, sonographic features, gene expression results, and surgical procedure were documented. Correlation between these variables and final histopathologic diagnosis of malignancy was analyzed. Results: The 230 patients (103 Bethesda III, 64 Bethesda IV, and 63 Bethesda V) were included for analysis. Bethesda III nodules harbored malignancy in 26.2% of cases compared with 26.6% of Bethesda IV nodules and 82.5% of Bethesda V nodules. On multivariate analysis, age was inversely correlated with a diagnosis of malignancy (OR: 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.96-0.99, p = .03) Although the presence of microcalcifications was positively associated with cancer (OR: 2.31, CI: 1.24-4.29, p = .008) The co-occurrence of microcalcifications and irregular margins was associated with a higher odds of malignancy (OR: 4.42, 95% CI: 1.32-14.93, p = .016), whereas the combination of microcalcifications, irregular margins, and hypoechogenicity was associated with the greatest cancer risk (OR: 5.52, 95% CI: 1.12-27.78, p = .036). Conclusions: The presence of microcalcifications in thyroid nodules categorized as Bethesda III-V is an independent risk factor for malignancy. The combination of microcalcifications, irregular margins, and hypoechogenicity is associated with a greater malignancy risk in nodules indeterminate for thyroid cancer on cytopathology.

Petrous Apicitis: A Systematic Review and Case Presentation.

INTRODUCTION: Petrous apicitis (PA) is a rare but dangerous complication of acute otitis media. The objective of this study is to present a case of PA and systematically review the existing literature on PA to characterize clinical presentation, diagnosis, management, and outcomes in the antibiotic era. METHODS: A comprehensive search from 1983 to June 1, 2020, of PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and EmBase databases was conducted. Studies with clinical data regarding patients with PA were included. Non-English literature or studies with insufficient individual patient data were excluded. Sixty-seven studies were included with a total of 134 patients. RESULTS: A total of 67 articles were found to meet criteria for inclusion. The mean age of presentation was 33 years. Recent acute otitis media was reported in 78 patients (58.2%). Only 3 patients (2.2%) were immunocompromised, and 8 patients (6.0%) had a history of diabetes. Gradenigo's triad of abducens palsy, otorrhea, and retro-orbital or facial pain was reported in 28 patients (20.9%); however, these presenting symptoms were common individually (51.5%, 48.5%, and 64.2%, respectively). Hearing loss (35.8%), facial weakness (17.9%), and vertigo (7.5%) were also reported.The most frequently cultured pathogen was Pseudomonas (34.2%), followed by Streptococcus and Staphylococcus. All 134 patients underwent imaging, with computed tomography being the most frequently used modality (56.0%). Nearly all patients received antibiotic therapy (95.6%), with 91 (67.9%) undergoing surgery ranging from myringotomy (26.9%) to petrosectomy (25.4%). Five patients (5.7%) died because of complications related to PA. Mean follow-up was 11.0 months. CONCLUSIONS: Petrous apicitis has a variable presentation with potential for severe morbidity. Mortality rates are low, and presentation with Gradenigo's triad is uncommon. Appropriate medical management with surgical drainage can avoid long-term sequelae.

Applying Machine Learning to Determine Popular Patient Questions About Mentoplasty on Social Media.

PURPOSE: Patient satisfaction in esthetic surgery often necessitates synergy between patient and physician goals. The authors aim to characterize patient questions before and after mentoplasty to reflect the patient perspective and enhance the physician-patient relationship. METHODS: Mentoplasty reviews were gathered from Realself.com using an automated web crawler. Questions were defined as preoperative or postoperative. Each question was reviewed and characterized by the authors into general categories to best reflect the overall theme of the question. A machine learning approach was utilized to create a list of the most common patient questions, asked both preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 2,012 questions were collected. Of these, 1,708 (84.9%) and 304 (15.1%) preoperative and postoperative questions, respectively. The primary category for patients preoperatively was "eligibility for surgery" (86.3%), followed by "surgical techniques and logistics" (5.4%) and "cost" (5.4%). Of the postoperative questions, the most common questions were about "options to revise surgery" (44.1%), "symptoms after surgery" (27.0%), and "appearance" (26.3%). Our machine learning approach generated the 10 most common pre- and postoperative questions about mentoplasty. The majority of preoperative questions dealt with potential surgical indications, while most postoperative questions principally addressed appearance. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of mentoplasty patient questions were preoperative and asked about eligibility of surgery. Our study also found a significant proportion of postoperative questions inquired about revision, suggesting a small but nontrivial subset of patients highly dissatisfied with their results. Our 10 most common preoperative and postoperative question handout can help better inform physicians about the patient perspective on mentoplasty throughout their surgical course. Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Assessing Patient Satisfaction Following Blepharoplasty Using Social Media Reviews.

BACKGROUND: Because patient satisfaction is a significant qualitative consideration in measuring aesthetic surgery outcome, it is important to characterize the individual factors that shape the patient perspective about blepharoplasty. OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed reviews by blepharoplasty patients on the aesthetic surgery social media platform RealSelf.com to determine which aspects of the surgical process have the most significant impact on patient satisfaction. METHODS: Blepharoplasty reviews were gathered from RealSelf.com with an automated web crawler. These reviews were characterized as positive or negative, then given a specific category that more specifically defined the theme of the review. Additional variables, including the specialty of the reviewed physician and any patient self-reported ratings, were documented. RESULTS: A total of 1991 reviews pertaining to blepharoplasty were collected. Among reviews with self-reported "worth it" ratings, 93.5% were positive. Following categorization of all reviews, 1865 (93.7%) were positive and 126 (6.3%) were negative. Of the positive reviews, the most common overall themes were bedside manner (n = 899, 48.2%), aesthetic result (n = 859, 46.1%), and overall comfort (n = 58, 3.1%). Among negative reviews, most pertained to aesthetic result (n = 100, 79.4%), and bedside manner (n = 14, 11.1%). The most frequently encountered physician specialties performing blepharoplasty were plastic surgery (n = 1101, 55.3%), ophthalmology (n = 634, 31.8%), and otolaryngology (n = 69, 3.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of reviews were positive. The most prominent factor driving positive reviews was bedside manner, followed by aesthetic results. Negative reviews were most frequently attributed to suboptimal aesthetic results. Most blepharoplasties in our study cohort were performed by plastic and oculoplastic surgeons.

Sclerotherapy for Benign Cystic Lesions of the Head and Neck: Systematic Review of 474 Cases.

OBJECTIVE: The role of sclerotherapy for vascular lesions of the head and neck is well established. However, the efficacy of sclerotherapy for benign cystic lesions of the head and neck is less clear. The objective of this review is to determine the efficacy and safety of sclerotherapy for benign cystic lesions of the head and neck. DATA SOURCES: PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Embase. REVIEW METHODS: The PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Systems for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) were followed for this systematic review. Studies of patients with benign head and neck cystic masses treated primarily with sclerotherapy were included. Thirty-two studies met criteria for inclusion. RESULTS: A total of 474 cases of sclerotherapy were reviewed. Agents comprised OK-432, ethanol, doxycycline, tetracycline, and bleomycin. Lesions in the analysis were ranula, thyroglossal duct cyst, branchial cleft cyst, benign lymphoepithelial cyst, parotid cyst, thoracic duct cyst, and unspecified lateral neck cyst. A total of 287 patients (60.5%) had a complete response; 132 (27.9%) had a partial response; and 55 (11.6%) had no response. OK-432 was the most widely utilized agent, with a higher rate of complete response than that of ethanol (62.0% vs 39.4%, P = .015). Fifty-three cases (11.2%) required further surgical management. One case of laryngeal edema was reported and managed nonoperatively. CONCLUSION: Sclerotherapy appears to be a safe and efficacious option for benign cystic lesions if malignancy is reliably excluded. Efficacy rates are comparable to those of sclerotherapy for vascular malformations. The rate of serious complications is low, with 1 incident of airway edema reported in the literature.

Septic Arthritis of the Temporomandibular Joint: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of the patient history, clinical findings, laboratory tests, treatment, and long-term function of septic arthritis of the temporomandibular joint (SATMJ). METHODS: All articles in the English literature related to SATMJ were queried using PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library (1950 to July 1, 2020). The reference lists were reviewed for additional articles. RESULTS: A preliminary search of the literature returned 241 results, of which 37 met inclusion criteria, with an additional article from reference review. There were 93 total cases, with a mean age of 35.7 years (0.1 to 85). Symptoms mostly consisted of pain in the temporomandibular joint/preauricular region (n = 84, 90.3%), trismus (n = 73, 78.5%), and facial/preauricular swelling (n = 68, 73.1%). Most patients had no systemic symptoms (n = 80, 86.1%). The mean degree of mouth opening was 13.1 mm (5 to 35). Diagnosis was made with the following imaging modalities: radiograph (n = 48, 51.6%), CT scan (n = 35, 37.6%), MRI (n = 25, 26.9%), and ultrasound (n = 3, 3.2%). Staphylococcus aureus (n = 19, 20.4%) was most commonly isolated. About 92 patients (98.9%) received antibiotics and 85 patients underwent surgery (eg, arthrocentesis, arthroscopy, etc.), of which 15 patients (17.6%) required repeat surgery. Most long-term outcomes were favorable. Sequelae occurred in 26 of 85 patients (30.6%) with documented follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: SATMJ should be suspected in the presence of trismus, jaw pain, and preauricular swelling. Management includes prompt evaluation and treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Surgery is not always indicated but can be life-saving in severe cases.

Characterizing Patient Questions Before and After Rhinoplasty on Social Media: A Big Data Approach.

BACKGROUND: As an aesthetic surgery, a successful rhinoplasty is often assessed by patient satisfaction, subject to a diverse array of qualitative factors including patient expectations and happiness with care provided. While substantial effort has been dedicated to understanding patients' post-operative concerns, addressing patients' pre-operative questions has been comparatively less studied. This study analysed pre- and post-operative questions about rhinoplasty on social media to gain insights into patients' concerns and develop targeted educational material. METHODS: The most viewed rhinoplasty questions on Realself.com, a social media platform for discussions about cosmetic surgeries, were collected and analysed. Questions were then stratified into pre- and post-operative and further assigned categories based on common topics found in the data. Using a machine learning approach, the most common pre- and post-operative questions were determined. RESULTS: 2014 rhinoplasty questions were collected in total, with 957 pre-operative and 1057 post-operative. The most commonly asked pre-operative questions were about appearance (n = 441, 46.1%), function (n = 102, 10.7%), and cost (n = 94, 9.8%). The most commonly asked post-operative questions were about appearance (n = 502, 47.5%), behaviour allowed/disallowed (n = 283, 26.8%), and symptoms after surgery (n = 235, 22.2%). An educational handout with the 10 most common pre- and post-operative questions was developed using machine learning analysis, with the majority of questions about appearance. CONCLUSIONS: Patients primarily expressed concern about appearance when asking questions about rhinoplasty on social media, along with other aspects of their pre- and post-operative course. The educational handout developed by this study can be applied to address commonly asked patient questions during pre-operative education. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Vocal Fold Motion Impairment Following Chemotherapy Administration: Case Reports and Review of the Literature.

OBJECTIVE: Chemotherapy-induced vocal fold motion impairment (CIVFMI) is a rare complication of cancer therapy with potential for airway compromise. The objective of this review is to present 2 new cases of CIVFMI to add to the literature as well as characterize the demographics, symptoms, exam findings, airway complication rates and prognosis of CIVFMI. METHODS: A search of Pubmed/MEDLINE (1970 to May 1, 2020), Embase (1970 to May 1, 2020), and Cochrane Library using medical study heading (MeSH) terms related to chemotherapy (drug therapy, chemotherapy, vincristine, vinblastine, paclitaxel) and vocal cord motion impairment (vocal cord, cords, vocal folds, immobility, hypomobility) was performed. Exploratory pooling of data without formal meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS: A preliminary search yielded 148 abstracts, review articles and studies. A total of 23 studies met inclusion criteria. There were 35 total cases presented in the literature, with a mean age of 29.5 (0.4-78). The most common cancer diagnosis was acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n = 15, 42.9%), and the most common agent was vincristine (n = 30, 85.7%). Dysphagia, bilateral CIVFMI, and vocal fold immobility rather than hypomobility were more common in pediatric patients. There were 8 cases of surgical airway intervention, including tracheostomy and posterior cordotomy. The duration of symptoms was 7 to 420 days, and spontaneous resolution was reported in 32 cases. CONCLUSIONS: CIVFMI has potential for airway complications requiring surgical intervention. Spontaneous resolution after cessation of the offending agent is the most likely outcome. Bilateral CIVFMI, dysphagia and vocal fold immobility are more common in the pediatric population.

Anatomic Danger Zones of the Head and Neck.

BACKGROUND: Dermatologic procedures require a detailed understanding of surface anatomy to avoid complications. The head and neck region has prominent danger zones including nerves and vasculature that may be at risk during cutaneous surgery. A thorough understanding of these danger zones can help avoid complications that may lead to functional or cosmetic impairment. METHODS: The anatomic literature regarding the course of high-risk structures of the head and neck was reviewed. Structures deemed at risk during dermatologic procedures were included in the analysis. The final analysis focused on branches of the facial nerve, parotid duct, spinal accessory nerve, trigeminal nerve, and the lacrimal system. Anatomical information was compiled regarding each high-risk structure to develop a "danger zone" at which each respective structure is at risk. RESULTS: The danger zone for each structure was compiled based on the review of the literature and depicted in the figures. CONCLUSION: With careful attention to anatomy and the meticulous surgical technique, there is great potential for reduction in surgical injury to danger zones of the head and neck.

Nasoseptal Flap Necrosis After Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery in the Setting of COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: A novel viral strain known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has created a worldwide pandemic known as coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Early reports from China have highlighted the risks associated with performing endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery in patients with SARS-CoV-2. We present a rare complication of nasoseptal flap (NSF) necrosis associated with COVID-19, further emphasizing the challenges of performing these procedures in this era. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 78-year-old man underwent an extended endoscopic endonasal transplanum resection of a pituitary macroadenoma for decompression of the optic chiasm. The resulting skull base defect was repaired using a pedicled NSF. The patient developed meningitis and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak on postoperative day 13, requiring revision repair of the defect. Twelve days later, he developed persistent fever and rhinorrhea. The patient was reexplored endoscopically, and the NSF was noted to be necrotic and devitalized with evident CSF leakage. At that time, the patient tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Postoperatively, he developed acute respiratory distress syndrome complicated by hypoxic respiratory failure and death. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of NSF necrosis in a patient with COVID-19. We postulate that the thrombotic complications of COVID-19 may have contributed to vascular pedicle thrombosis and NSF necrosis. Although the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 and its effect on the nasal tissues is still being elucidated, this case highlights some challenges of performing endoscopic skull base surgery in the era of COVID-19.

How Does Smoking Change the Clinicopathological Characteristics of Human Papillomavirus-Positive Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma? One Medical Center Experience.

INTRODUCTION: Human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive and HPV-negative oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs) are 2 distinct cancers, with HPV-positivity conferring a better prognosis. Smoking status is a complicating factor for both patient populations. There have been scattered literature that have reported on incomplete information regarding the profiles of their patient population. Details including age and sex distributions, TNM staging, histology grading, recurrence time and types, death rates, and the direct causes of deaths have been reported incompletely in the literature. Here, based on the experience at our university medical centers, we explored all the details of the important clinical profiles of HPV-negative OPSCC, HPV-positive OPSCC in smokers and nonsmokers. OBJECTIVE: In this article, we compare detailed clinical profiles of HPV-negative OPSCC and HPV-positive OPSCC in both smokers and nonsmokers. The clinical profiles we elucidated here include patients' age and sex distribution, general health conditions, histology grading, TNM staging, perineural invasion (PNI), and lymphovascular invasion (LVI), extracapsular extension (ECE), recurrence rate and types, death rate, and direct causes. Specifically, we divided HPV-positive OPSCC into smokers and nonsmokers and compared the different clinical profiles between these groups to give a better idea of the complicating role of smoking in the development of HPV-positive OPSCC. METHOD: All patients with OPSCC at a tertiary care publicly funded county hospital and a tertiary care university hospital from June 2009-July 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. The attending physicians were the same at both hospitals. The primary outcome measure was posttreatment 2-year follow-up status (locoregional recurrence, distant recurrence, death rate). Other measures included HPV status based on p16 staining, smoking history, age, sex, comorbidities, tumor size, nodal and distant metastasis information, LVI, PNI, ECE, and tumor histology grade. RESULTS: A total of 202 patients with OPSCC were identified. They were categorized into 3 groups: HPV-negative OPSCC group (HPV-), HPV-positive smoker group (HPV+SMK+), and HPV-positive nonsmoker group (HPV+SMK-). Patients of HPV- group are older (61.1 ± 11.6 years) than the other groups on average. The HPV- group has the highest percentage of women (22.7%). The HPV- patients with OPSCC have more comorbidities than the HPV+SMK+ group and the HPV+SMK- group, although there is no statistical difference. Grade 2 tumor is the most common histology grade for HPV- patients with OPSCC, whereas grade 3 is the most common grade for HPV+SMK+ and HPV+SMK- groups. Both PNI and LVI are positive at around 40% for all groups without any significant difference, but ECE is very common for HPV- OPSCC, at 86.7%, which is significantly higher than that of the HPV+SMK+ and HPV+SMK- groups. There was no difference of bilateral neck metastases noticed among different groups. For T staging and N staging, although HPV+SMK- and HPV+SMK+ patients have relatively lower T stages and higher N stages, there is no significant difference. HPV+SMK- group has highest TNM stages. All death rates and recurrence rates increase with time, but the death rate of HPV- group is about 4 times higher than that of the HPV+SMK+ group and 6 times higher than that of the HPV+SMK+ group. The major recurrence type of HPV- OPSCC and HPV+SMK+ is locoregional, and the major recurrence type of HPV+SMK+ is distant metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirmed that HPV+ OPSCC normally presents with more advanced stage, however, it has better prognosis. In comparison, HPV- OPSCC presents at an earlier stage, but the prognosis is worse. Based on their clinical profiles, we noted that HPV-positive OPSCC cells are more "mobile"; they metastasize sooner and further. However, HPV-negative OPSCC cells are more locally infiltrative, leading to more locoregional recurrence. The HPV-positive patients usually are younger and healthier at diagnosis. Although HPV-positive OPSCC tend to be histologically higher grades, there was no statistical difference noticed. Metastatic and recurrent patterns are very different between HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients, but the death rate of HPV-negative patients is way higher, and it is mainly due to locoregional recurrences, which is the major recurrence type for HPV-negative patients. Of our note, smoking is a complicating factor for HPV-positive OPSCC, and it makes the death rate, recurrence rate, histology grade, and TNM staging shift toward HPV-negative OPSCC. How smoking makes HPV-positive OPSCC behave more like OPSCC-negative OPSCC deserves more translational research for further elucidation.

Hypothyroidism Potentially Linked to Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Retrospective Study at a Single Tertiary Academic Medical Center.

BACKGROUND: There are multiple known risk factors for the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). OBJECTIVE: To determine whether patients with cutaneous SCC have a higher prevalence of hypothyroidism than the general US population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for patients seen at the University of Southern California with cutaneous SCC. Chart review was performed for the presence of hypothyroidism and thyroid replacement therapy before the diagnosis of SCC for each patient. Multiple prevalence studies were gathered from the literature for comparison, reporting the prevalence of overt and subclinical hypothyroidism in the general US population and/or elderly US population. RESULTS: Of the 265 patients diagnosed with SCC of the skin, 61 (23%) of patients were found to have a preceding diagnosis of hypothyroidism. The prevalence of hypothyroidism among the population of SCC patients was significantly greater than the prevalence of hypothyroidism (overt and subclinical) in any general and/or elderly US population reported. CONCLUSION: Patients with SCC of skin are more likely to have a history of hypothyroidism than the general population. The authors conclude that hypothyroidism may be linked to the development of cutaneous SCC.