Head and neck cancers, Version 2.2014. Clinical practice guidelines in oncology.

This selection from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Head and Neck Cancers focuses on glottic laryngeal cancer, which is the most common type of laryngeal cancer and has an excellent cure rate. The lymphatic drainage of the glottis is sparse, and early stage primaries rarely spread to regional nodes. Because hoarseness is an early symptom, most glottic laryngeal cancer is early stage at diagnosis. Updates to these guidelines for 2014 include revisions to "Principles of Radiation Therapy" for each site and "Principles of Surgery," and the addition of a new section on "Principles of Dental Evaluation and Management."

Maxillary removal and reinsertion in pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine outcomes after the maxillary removal and reinsertion (MRR) approach for the treatment of anterior cranial base tumors in pediatric patients. DESIGN: Eligible patients were identified by medical record review. Consenting patients were studied via rhinoscopy, fiberoptic endoscopy, standard facial photographs, and cephalometric radiographs. SETTING: A tertiary care otolaryngology clinic. PATIENTS: Inclusion criteria were age younger than 16 years at time of initial procedure and a follow-up period of at least 6 months. Nine patients were eligible, and 5 enrolled. All were male patients (mean age, 13.8 years; age range, 11-15 years) treated for juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: History and examination were performed to evaluate occlusion, vision, facial growth, and tumor status. Cephalograms were used to calculate 3 standard cephalometric measurements: sella to A point, basion to A point, and condylion to A point. Cephalograms were examined for plate migration and bony resorption. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: No major long-term complications were identified in the patients after MRR. Cephalometric analysis revealed minor abnormalities in 2 children, but no plate migration or bony resorption was identified in the removed and reinserted maxillae. No abnormal development patterns were detected on physical examination or when cephalometric measurements were compared with age- and race-matched normative data. Although further study is warranted, MRR seems safe and effective for treatment of pediatric patients with anterior cranial base tumors.

Transoral resection of pharyngeal cancer: summary of a National Cancer Institute Head and Neck Cancer Steering Committee Clinical Trials Planning Meeting, November 6-7, 2011, Arlington, Virginia.

Recent advances now permit resection of many pharyngeal tumors through the open mouth, an approach that can greatly reduce the morbidity of surgical exposure. These transoral techniques are being rapidly adopted by the surgical community and hold considerable promise. On November 6-7, 2011, the National Cancer Institute sponsored a Clinical Trials Planning Meeting to address how to further investigate the use of transoral surgery, both in the good prognosis human papillomavirus (HPV)-initiated oropharyngeal cancers, and in those with HPV-unrelated disease. The proceedings of this meeting are summarized.

Maxillary removal and reinsertion: a favorable approach for extensive anterior cranial base tumors.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the long-term results and the complications related to an expanded series of maxillary removal and reinsertion (MRRI) with 18-year surgical experience. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review of the MRRI patients in the last 18 years. SETTING: The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Seventy-eight patients who underwent MRRI from February 1990 through February 2007. The median age was 51 years (range 11-77 yrs). Sixty-two (80%) patients had malignant lesions. RESULTS: MRRI has been successfully completed in all 78 patients, with no intraoperative mortality. The most commonly encountered malignant neoplasm was squamous cell cancer (40.3%), followed by esthesioneuroblastoma (24.1%), adenoid cystic cancer (8%), and other neoplasms (27.4%). The most commonly encountered postoperative complication was diplopia, which has persisted in five (6.4%) patients in the short-term and in three (4%) patients in the long-term follow-up. Nasal asymmetry was the most common long-term complication (17.9%), followed by plate-associated problems (10.2%) and midface asymmetry (10.2%). Overall five-year survival for the patients with squamous cell carcinoma was 62 percent. CONCLUSION: MRRI is a favorable surgical technique for the treatment of anterior cranial base (ACB) tumors in adults and even in children. It improves operative morbidity by preserving both function and form of the maxillary region and gives excellent exposure to ACB.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy accurately stages the regional lymph nodes for T1-T2 oral squamous cell carcinomas: results of a prospective multi-institutional trial.

PURPOSE: The validity of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for T1 or T2, clinically N0, oral cancer was tested by correlation of sentinel node pathologic status with that of nodes within the completion neck dissection. METHODS: This prospective, cooperative group trial involved 25 institutions over a 3-year period. One hundred forty patients with invasive oral cancers, stage T1 and T2, N0 including 95 cancers of the tongue, 26 of the floor of mouth, and 19 other oral cancers were studied. The study excluded lesions with diameter smaller than 6 mm or minimal invasion. Imaging was used to exclude nonpalpable gross nodal disease. Patients underwent injection of the lesion with (99m)Tc-sulfur colloid, nuclear imaging, narrow-exposure SLNB, and completion selective neck dissection. The major end point was the negative-predictive value (NPV) of SLNB. RESULTS: In the 106 SLNBs, which were found to be pathologically and clinically node-negative by routine hematoxylin and eosin stain, 100 patients were found to have no other pathologically positive nodes, corresponding to a NPV of 94%. With additional sectioning and immunohistochemistry, NPV was improved to 96%. In the forty patients with proven cervical metastases, the true-positive rate was 90.2% and was superior for tongue tumors relative to floor of mouth. For T1 lesions, metastases were correctly identified in 100%. CONCLUSION: For T1 or T2 N0 oral squamous cell carcinoma, SLNB with step sectioning and immunohistochemistry, performed by surgeons of mixed experience levels, correctly predicted a pathologically negative neck in 96% of patients (NPV, 96%).

Disease control, survival, and functional outcome after multimodal treatment for advanced-stage tongue base cancer.

BACKGROUND: Surgical resection and postoperative radiation for advanced-stage malignancies of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and hypopharynx result in a dismal overall survival of 38%. Patients with carcinoma of the tongue base frequently have advanced disease at the time of presentation, and combined-modality therapy is usually required to achieve cure. Because of the poor survival rates with advanced malignancies with standard therapy, new and innovative approaches continue to be developed in an attempt to have a greater impact on disease control, patient survival, and functional outcome after therapy. This study examines functional outcome, survival, and disease control in patients receiving an intensified treatment regimen with concomitant chemoradiotherapy, surgery, and intraoperative radiotherapy for previously untreated, resectable, stage III and IV squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue base. METHODS: Forty patients with previously untreated, resectable, stage III and IV squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue base were treated in one of three sequential phase II intensification regimens (IRs). Treatment consisted of perioperative, hyperfractionated radiotherapy (9.1 Gy) with concurrent cisplatin followed by surgical resection with intraoperative radiotherapy boost (7.5 Gy). Postoperative treatment involved concurrent chemoradiotherapy (40 Gy to the primary site and upper neck and 45 Gy to the supraclavicular areas) with cisplatin with or without paclitaxel. Locoregional and distant disease control, 2-year overall, and disease-specific survival rates were calculated. The Performance Status Scale (PSS) for Head and Neck Cancer Patients was administered to 25 of the surviving patients. The effects of the method of surgical reconstruction, surgery involving the mandible and/or larynx, and early versus advanced T stage on PSS score were evaluated with the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. RESULTS: Median follow-up in months for IR1, IR2, and IR3 were 83.6, 75.2, and 26.8. The locoregional control rate was 100%, and the rate of distant metastases was 7.5% for all patients. Two-year overall and disease-specific survival rates for the entire study population were 74.7% and 93.6%, respectively. Mean PSS scores by subscales Eating in Public, Understandability of Speech, and Normalcy of Diet were 55 (range, 0-100), 73 (range, 25-100), and 49 (range, 0-100), respectively. PSS scores were significantly higher in patients with primary closure of the surgical defect, no mandibular surgery, and early T-stage lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Although functional outcome may be decreased by certain surgical interventions and advanced T stage, the high rate of locoregional and distant disease control and excellent 2-year disease-specific survival supports an aggressive treatment regimen for advanced tongue base cancer.