Surgical Approaches to Parapharyngeal Space Tumors: An Example and Review of the Literature.

Parapharyngeal space tumors (PPS) are rare. They represent less than 1% of all head and neck tumors. They are of various histologies. Pleomorphic adenomas originating from the parotid (prestylian parapharyngeal space) are the most frequent. We report the case of a 50-year-old patient treated for a pleomorphic adenoma (PA) of PPS. His initial complaints were apnea and dysphagia. The correct diagnosis was preoperatively suspected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The surgery was carried out using two approaches: transoral and cervical transparotid approaches. Definitive histology was consistent with encapsulated pleomorphic adenoma. In the present work, we reviewed clinical, radiological, and histological features of parapharyngeal space tumors. We tried to summarize the common surgical approaches. The chosen approach is, in fact, scheduled taking into account several parameters including tumor volume and purpose of the surgery.

Petrous metastasis of a lung small cell carcinoma.

Malignant tumors of the temporal bone are rare. They include a wide histological variety. They are mostly primary tumors with an estimated incidence of 0.8-1.0 per 1,000,000 inhabitants per year [1]. Metastases form an uncommon subgroup. The clinical features of these temporal bone metastases are nonspecific and predominantly consist of hearing loss, vertigo, facial palsy, tinnitus, headache, otalgia or otorrhoea [2]. The aim of our publication is to report a rare case of metastasis in the temporal bone as initial manifestation of lung cancer. Our patient was a 44-year-old man who presented for a right mastoid swelling with a grade VI right facial nerve palsy. Imaging and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of small cell lung carcinoma petrous metastasis. The treatment was palliative. An osteolytic lesion of the temporal bone in an elderly patient may fit with a primary tumor of the temporal bone. It must, also, suggest the diagnosis of metastasis. The malignant tumor most frequently responsible is breast cancer, but lung cancer must also be considered in smoking patients.

Lip reconstruction after cancer resection : clinical study of 70 cases.

BACKGROUND: By virtue of their multiple functions, lips are essential organs. Thus, lip cancers represent a distinct entity in head and neck surgery. Their treatment is fundamentally surgical. We aimed, in this study, to define modalities of repairing techniques of lip defects after surgical resection and post-operative complications. METHODS: We conducted a 4 years retrospective descriptive study including 70 adult patients admitted with lip cancers. RESULTS: Suture, local and regional flaps were the performed techniques for repairing defects (respectively n=28, 35 and 7). The most common postoperative complications were wound dehiscence (n=4), and surgical site necrosis (n=2) and infection (9 patients). Functional sequelae were dominated by microstomia (n=26), (food leakage) (n=9) and gingival exposure (n=11). Aesthetic results were good, fair or poor respectively in 54.3%; 32.9% and 12.8% of patients. CONCLUSION: Lip cancers surgery is relatively well-codified. However, it may be difficult to choose the best repairing technique, especially in case of large lip defect considering functional and aesthetic prejudices.

Risk factor of pharyngocutaneous fistula.

INTRODUCTION: Pharyngocutaneous fistula is the most frequent complication of primary and secondary laryngectomy and pharyngolaryngectomy. It has an important impact on the patient, his entourage and the healthcare team. The risk factors for pharyngostoma are multiple and its treatment is not codified. AIM: To identify the various factors that may predispose to this complication and to describe the different therapeutic means to control it. METHODS: This retrospective study examined 68 cases of laryngeal cancer treated by total laryngectomy or pharyngolaryngectomy at Salah Azaїez's head and neck oncologic surgery department between 2015 and 2017. RESULTS: Most of our patients were male (97%) who were major consumer of tobacco and alcohol. The most common stage were T4aN0M0 (34%) and T4aN1M0 (22%). Regarding treatment, we found that 73.5% of patients were operated on by total laryngectomy, 17.7% of patients were operated on by total pharyngolaryngectomy and 8.8% of patients were operated on by square laryngectomy. Pharyngostoma was diagnosed in 20.5% of cases within an average of 15 days. Among the risk factors studied, those that were statistically correlated with the occurrence of CPF in univariate studies were pre-laryngeal infiltration (p = 0.006), postoperative CRP level (p= 0.017), extension to piriform recess (p = 0.009), TNM stage (p=0.039), an associated thyroid surgery (p = 0.020) and pharyngeal closure under tension (p=0.000). In multivariate studies, five of the risk factors identified in the univariate analysis were found. This testifies to their major role as a risk factor for pharyngostoma. These factors were pre-laryngeal infiltration (p=0.001), postoperative CRP level (p=0.000), piriform recess involvement (p=0.004) Associated thyroid surgery (p=0.012) and pharyngeal closure under tension (p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: By identifying predictive factors for pharyngostoma, we can identify patients in which this complication may occur and manage the medical care means to prevent it more efficiently.

Bilateral external laryngocele: a case report.

Laryngocele is a rare benign lesion of the larynx caused by an abnormal dilatation of the laryngeal saccule. We report the case of a 78-year-old man presenting bilateral cervical painless soft mass. Bilateral external laryngocele diagnosis was confirmed by CT scan and the patient underwent a surgical resection.

Oncologic outcomes of early glottic cancers with anterior commissure involvement treated with advanced laser cordectomies.

INTRODUCTION: The contribution of transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) in the management of early glottic cancer is now well established. The anterior commissure (AC) is a delicate anatomic subsite due to its difficult access and the high risk of tumour spread from this site to the thyroid cartilage, the subglottis and the pre epiglottic space. These reasons make the endoscopic approach controversial in case of AC involvement. METHODS: This is a single centre retrospective study performed between the years 2012 and 2015. Eighteen patients treated with advanced Va laser cordectomies were included. RESULTS: All tumours were staged T1 (78% were T1a and 12% T1b). After laser surgery 4 patients (22.22%) had positive margins. These patients were candidate to second look procedure allowing detection and treatment of residual disease.  Oncologic outcomes were studied. Two patients experienced local relapses within a mean delay of 7 months. The local control rate was 88.9% while the local control using laser only was 83.33%. One patient underwent a total laryngectomy (TL) followed by adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) after a massive recurrence in the AC with infiltration of the thyroid cartilage. The laryngeal preservation rate was 94.44%. The 3 years overall survival rate reached 100% while the 3 years disease free survival was 88.9%. CONCLUSION: the TLM offers acceptable oncologic outcomes in the treatment of T1 laryngeal cancer with AC involvement.

Laryngocele after Subtotal Laryngectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Laryngocele is an air-filled dilatation of the laryngeal saccule that extends upward within the false vocal folds. Different etiologies lead to laryngocele congenital malformation, weakness of the laryngeal tissues and increased intralaryngeal pressure. Laryngocele may be a secondary iatrogenic complication following subtotal laryngectomy. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 61-year-old patient who presented an external laryngomucocele 8 years after a supracricoid partial laryngectomy with cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (SCPL-CHEP). We focus on the clinical aspects and therapeutic attitude, then discuss the physiopathological conditions that could generate this late complication. CONCLUSION: Laryngocele after subtotal laryngectomy should be considered a late iatrogenic complication. Histological examination is necessary after surgical management of laryngocele, as the association with cancer is frequent.

Primary Ewing's sarcoma of the sphenoid sinus with orbital and intracranial extension: a case report.

Ewing's sarcoma is a high-grade neuroectodermal primary bone tumor. This is the second primary bone tumor in children afterosteosarcoma and represents 4 to10% of cases. It can occur in all skeletal bones. However, the location at the facial bones is uncommon (1to2%) and extremely rare at the sphenoid sinus. We report the clinical results of a rare case of Ewing's sarcoma of the sphenoid with intraorbitaland intracranial extension.

Larynx preservation: what is the best non-surgical strategy?

The concept of larynx preservation in locally advanced laryngeal or hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma has evolved during the last three decades, especially with the advancement of nonsurgical strategies. These nonsurgical strategies include: (1) radiotherapy alone; (2) concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT); and (3) induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy or CCRT and concurrent anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). To date, the best approach for larynx preservation has yet to be defined. In this article, we review and discuss important recent randomized phase II/III trials investigating larynx preservation in order to facilitate the selection of an appropriate strategy in the clinical setting. However, the decision of larynx preservation should always be a multidisciplinary approach.

Complementary determination of Epstein-Barr virus DNA load and serum markers for nasopharyngeal carcinoma screening and early detection in individuals at risk in Tunisia.

Because nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has a close association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), measuring serum EBV DNA and anti-EBV serum marker concentrations could be a feasible method for NPC diagnosis, monitoring and probably screening especially in a community at risk. The aim of this study was to determine the EBV pattern in sporadic NPC and in high risk NPC Tunisian families in order to evaluate their risk factors and help for NPC screening. The rates of anti-EBV antibodies and EBV DNA were determined in the serum of 47 healthy members randomly selected from 23 NPC multiplex families with two or more affected members, 93 healthy Tunisian community controls chosen with the same age, sex and geographic origin as unaffected individuals and 66 EBV positive sporadic NPC patients whose serum was available before and after treatment. Unexpectedly, significant lower concentrations of anti-EA (Early Antigen) IgG and anti-VCA (Viral Capsid Antigen) IgG were found in unaffected members from NPC families than in healthy controls while viral loads were negative in all the tested sera. For sporadic NPC patients, anti-EA IgG and anti-VCA IgA concentrations were significantly higher than in healthy controls and these rates decreased after treatment. The level of EBV DNA load varied according to the condition of the tumour. This study suggests that in the Tunisian NPC families, screening for malignancy is based on serum concentrations but not on EBV DNA load while in the sporadic NPC group, serologic markers and EBV DNA load are complementary for diagnosis and follow-up.

[Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the larynx: a case report]. / Tumeur myofibroblastique inflammatoire du larynx: a propos d'un cas.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory myofibroblatic tumor is a recently caracterized solid mesenchymal tumor. They are frequently localised in the lung. However, the head and neck forms are uncommon. AIM: To report a new case of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the larynx. CASE REPORT: This 47-year old man presented with dysphonia without dyspnea. Laryngoscopy showed a tumor of anterior vocal cord. CT scan of larynx confirmed diagnosis. The patient had a cordectomy. Histology concluded to the diagnosis of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor. No relapses have been noted after 4 months. CONCLUSION: Only a few cases of laryngeal inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor have been reported in the literature. Clinical presentation depends of tumor location. Radiological images are not specific and diagnosis is based on histology. The expected course is essentially marked by the risk of local recurrences. Surgical excision seems to be the treatment of choice.

Head and neck liposarcomas: a 32 years experience.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to study natural history, presentation, treatment and prognosis of head and neck liposarcomas. METHODS: We carry a retrospective study about 15 patients diagnosed and treated in our department between 1969 and 2001. Therapeutic modalities included surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. RESULTS: Tumors were mostly localized at the neck (4 cases) and the scalp (3 cases). Cervical lymphadenopathy was found in 1 case. Chest X-ray found showed metastases in 2 cases. Histological types of liposarcomas were the following: myxoid (5 cases), well differentiated (4 cases), pleomorphic (4 cases), round cell (1 case) and dedifferentiated (1 case). Twelve patients underwent surgery. Complete excision was performed in 7 cases. In the other 5 cases, exeresis was incomplete and 4 of them received postoperative radiotherapy. Three patients were not operated because of vascular involvement (1 case) or metastasis (2 cases), and they all received radiotherapy alone. After initial treatment, complete remission was achieved in 7 cases (46.7%). A recurrence occurred in 8 cases (53.3%). Two of these patients were reoperated and another one received chemotherapy. In the other 5 cases, the tumor was uncontrollable and no additional treatment has been proposed. Five-year survival rate was 87% for patients who underwent surgery alone, 75% for those who underwent surgery and postoperative radiotherapy, and 0% for those treated by radiotherapy alone. CONCLUSION: The mainstay of treatment of head and neck liposarcomas is surgical excision and the prognosis is largely determined by the histological grade and the clinical stage.

[Genetic polymorphism of gluthation-S transferases and N-acetyl transferases 2 and nasopharyngeal carcinoma: the Tunisia experience]. / Polymorphisme génétique des enzymes gluthation-S transférases et N-acétyl-transférases 2 dans le cancer du nasopharynx en Tunisie.

Interindividual differences observed in the metabolism of xenobiotics have been attributed to the genetic polymorphism of genes, which code for enzymes involved in detoxification. This genetic variability seems to be associated with the individual's susceptibility to certain cancers, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In this study, we have investigated the genotypic frequencies of DNA polymorphisms of two detoxification's genes: the gluthatione-S-transferase (GST) and the N-acetyl transferase 2 (NAT2). The study has included 45 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma compared to 100 healthy Tunisian controls. The presence of the GSTM1 null and GSTT1 null polymorphism was screened by using a multiplex PCR procedure. A PCR-RFLP method was used to detect polymorphism for the most common alleles of the NAT2 gene. Allelic frequencies between the two groups were compared using a chi2 test and odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. The results indicate that the genotypic frequency of GSTM10/0 between controls and patients was significantly different. This genotype confers an increased risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (Odds Ratio = 2.12, [0.64-4.7]). However, genotypic frequencies of NAT2*6/NAT2*6 were significantly higher in the group of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. The calculated Odds Ratio showed an association between this genotype and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In conclusion, the increase of nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk in Tunisia seems to be associated with GSTM10/0 and NAT2*6/6 genotype.