Feasibility of transnasal flexible carbon dioxide laser surgery for laryngopharyngeal lesions.

OBJECTIVE: The fiber-guided carbon dioxide (CO2) laser is a useful device for laryngopharyngeal surgery. The flexible CO2 wave-guide laser has been developed and commercially available for several years. However, the transnasal use of CO2 flexible wave-guided laser surgery through the instrument channel of a flexible endoscope (CO2 TNFLS) is not permitted in Japan. This feasibility study aimed to assess the value and the safety of an in-office CO2 TNFLS procedure. METHODS: Patients with small laryngopharyngeal diseases were enrolled from June 2015. Eligible patients had indications with lesions generally localized superficial lesions such as the benign tumor, leukoplakia, and premalignant lesion-like carcinoma in situ (CIS). Patients were locally well anesthetized using xylocaine. After removing as much of the lesion(s) as possible with flexible forceps, the remainder of the lesions were evaporated using CO2 TNFLS through the instrument channel of a flexible endoscope under local anesthesia. RESULTS: Eighteen surgeries involving 13 patients, including 9 papilloma (7 recurrent respiratory papilloma [RRP]), 2 carcinoma in situ, 1 leukoplakia, and 1 large epiglottic cyst), were performed. Four patients with RRP required multiple surgeries. Except for 3 patients with RRP, all patients achieved disease control without additional intervention. All procedures were completed with no severe adverse events. CONCLUSION: Office-based CO2 TNFLS is safe and feasible for patients with laryngopharyngeal pathologies. It is especially valuable for RRP patients with small lesions to avoid surgery under general anesthesia.

A traditional Japanese medicine--Hangeshashinto (TJ-14)--alleviates chemoradiation-induced mucositis and improves rates of treatment completion.

PURPOSE: Oral mucositis induced by radiation or chemoradiation can cause devastating quality of life issues for patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of a traditional Japanese medicine-Hangeshashinto (TJ-14)-for (chemo)radiation-induced oral mucositis. METHODS: Eighty patients who underwent whole neck radiation of >60 Gy with or without chemotherapy (high-dose cisplatin or low-dose docetaxel) were enrolled in this retrospective study; 40 had received TJ-14 during treatment, and 40 had not (controls). Factors related to alleviation of oral mucositis were identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Rates of completion of (chemo)radiation treatments were compared between the patients who received TJ-14 and the control group according to the treatment regimen. The comparison of the nutrition status between groups was also performed. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis indicated that the use of TJ-14 (p = 0.019), gender (p = 0.024), and primary tumor location (p = 0.028) were significant factors associated with the severity of oral mucositis. TJ-14 was associated with a significantly improved rate of completion of chemoradiation with cisplatin (p = 0.002). In the investigation of nutritional status, only serum albumin was significantly maintained better in the TJ-14 group than the control group in terms of mean change before and after (chemo)radiation (p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that TJ-14 is effective for ameliorating oral mucositis induced by (chemo)radiation in patients with head and neck cancers. TJ-14 was associated with improved completion rates of chemoradiation treatments with cisplatin. A randomized controlled trial is necessary to confirm the efficacy of TJ-14 for chemoradiation-induced mucositis in head and neck cancer patients.

Breakthrough invasive Candida glabrata in patients on micafungin: a novel FKS gene conversion correlated with sequential elevation of MIC.

Candida glabrata strains sequentially isolated from blood developed resistance to micafungin (MICs from <0.015 to 4 µg/ml). A novel mutation identified in micafungin-resistant strains at bp 262 of FKS2 (containing a deletion of F659 [F659del]) was inserted into the homologous region in FKS1.