Level IV neck dissection in cN0 HPV-negative oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: As opposed to observation of the neck, elective neck dissection has a survival benefit for cN0 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). However, there are limited date on level IV neck dissection in human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative OPSCC because most earlier studies did not stratify by P16 or HPV status. Thus, whether to exclude level IV from selective dissection (SND) of cN0 HPV-negative OPSCC remains controversial. METHODS: In this single-center retrospective cohort study, disease-free survival (DFS) was estimated as the primary endpoint for 124 cN0 HPV-negative OPSCC patients who received SND of levels I-III (Group A) and I-IV (Group B). Overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were considered secondary endpoints. RESULTS: For the entire cohort, the 5-year DFS rates of Groups A and B were 55.0% and 60.1%, respectively. Five-year OS rates were 58.9% and 61.5%, and 5-year DSS rates were 74.0% and 64.8%, respectively. Group B did not show higher 5-year DFS, OS, or DSS than Group A. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective cohort study validated that in cN0 HPV-negative OPSCC, SND including level IV does not have substantial benefits regarding DFS, OS or DSS.

Radiation Induces Apoptosis and Osteogenic Impairment through miR-22-Mediated Intracellular Oxidative Stress in Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were characterized by their multilineage potential and were involved in both bony and soft tissue repair. Exposure of cells to ionizing radiation (IR) triggers numerous biological reactions, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), cellular apoptosis, and impaired differentiation capacity, while the mechanisms of IR-induced BMSC apoptosis and osteogenic impairment are still unclear. Through a recent study, we found that 6 Gy IR significantly increased the apoptotic ratio and ROS generation, characterized by ROS staining and mean fluorescent intensity. Intervention with antioxidant (NAC) indicated that IR-induced cellular apoptosis was partly due to the accumulation of intracellular ROS. Furthermore, we found that the upregulation of miR-22 in rBMSCs following 6 Gy IR played an important role on the ROS generation and subsequent apoptosis. In addition, we firstly demonstrated that miR-22-mediated ROS accumulation and cell injury had an important regulated role on the osteogenic capacity of BMSCs both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, IR-induced overexpression of miR-22 regulated the cell viability and differentiation potential through targeting the intracellular ROS.

XL413, a cell division cycle 7 kinase inhibitor enhanced the anti-fibrotic effect of pirfenidone on TGF-ß1-stimulated C3H10T1/2 cells via Smad2/4.

Pirfenidone is an orally bioavailable synthetic compound with therapeutic potential for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It is thought to act through antioxidant and anti-fibrotic pathways. Pirfenidone inhibits proliferation and/or myofibroblast differentiation of a wide range of cell types, however, little studies have analyzed the effect of pirfenidone on the mesenchymal stem cells, which play an important role on the origin of myofibroblasts. We recently found that pirfenidone had anti-proliferative activity via G1 phase arrest and cell division cycle 7 (Cdc7) kinase expression decrease in transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1)-stimulated murine mesenchymal stem C3H10T1/2 cells. Pirfenidone also had inhibiting effect on the migration and α-SMA expression. Moreover, in this study we showed for the first time that Cdc7 inhibitor XL413 enhanced the anti-fibrotic activity of pirfenidone via depressed the expression of Smad2/4 proteins, and also prevented the nuclear accumulation and translocation of Smad2 protein. In conclusion, we demonstrated that pirfenidone inhibited proliferation, migration and differentiation of TGF-ß1-stimulated C3H10T1/2 cells, which could be enhanced by Cdc7 inhibitor XL413, via Smad2/4. Combination with pirfenidone and XL413 might provide a potential candidate for the treatment of TGF-ß1 associated fibrosis. It needs in vivo studies to further validate its therapeutic function and safety in the future.

Management of the primary intraosseous synovial sarcoma of the jaws: be careful of the surgical margin.

PURPOSE: Synovial sarcoma (SS) is extremely rare in the jaws, and only 8 cases have been reported worldwide. The specific aims of this study were to report 15 cases of primary intraosseous SS (PISS) and analyze the histologic features and outcome-related prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from patients diagnosed with PISS from 2004 to 2013 were collected in this retrospective study. Patient characteristics (primary location, histologic subtype, tumor size, and surgical margin) were defined as predictor variables. Local recurrence and tumor-related death were outcome variables. The association of tumor-related outcomes with patient characteristics was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression statistics. Other clinical and pathologic characteristics were summarized as a third category of variables for further analysis. RESULTS: This study examined 15 cases (women, n = 10; men, n = 5) with a mean age at diagnosis of 35 years. There was no imbalance in the distribution of primary SS locations (maxilla, n = 7; mandible, n = 8). Six patients (40%) developed local recurrence and 4 patients (26.7%) had a tumor-related death. The 5-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and overall survival rates were 57% and 69.1%, respectively. The strong statistical association of surgical margin with 5-year LRFS rate was shown by univariate (P = .01) and multivariate (hazard ratio = 7.598; P = .028) analyses. CONCLUSIONS: PISS is extremely rare in the jaw. Immunohistochemical analysis played an important role in the diagnosis of PISS. The surgical margin showed a strong association with local recurrence. Thus, ideal surgical margins should be achieved during surgery to obtain better local control.

Monosotic fibrous dysplasia and solitary intramuscular myxoma of the head and neck: A unique presentation of Mazabraud's syndrome and a literature review.

Mazabraud's syndrome (MS) is a rare disease that is a combination of fibrous dysplasia and intramuscular myxomas. MS is a benign lesion and there is little data on the disease due to its low incidence. In the present study, the case of a 38-year-old patient who presented with a soft-tissue mass involving the masseter and swelling at the mandibular body and mandibular ramus is reported. Since the mandible is an important aesthetic and functional organ in the oral and maxillofacial region, surgery was primarily aimed at resecting the tumor, with good safety margins, and reconstructing the resultant defect. The lesions were pathologically diagnosed as MS. The unique features of this case included the painless and monostotic fibrous dysplasia, the solitary intramuscular myxomas involving the jaw and the male gender of the patient. MS usually occurs in the lower extremities, with an unusual predilection for the right limb; however, it rarely occurs in the head and neck region. A retrospective analysis of the clinical features and management of MS was also performed in the present study, together with a literature review. From the literature, it was concluded that the incidence of MS is ~2.3-fold greater in female patients than in male patients, and that the age of onset of MS ranges between 17 and 82 years, with an average age of 46.25 years.

Lymphadenoma of the salivary gland: Report of 10 cases.

Lymphadenoma of the salivary gland is rare, and the typical characteristics of lymphadenoma remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyze the experience of a single institution in the clinical diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of this type of tumor of the salivary gland. All cases of lymphadenoma diagnosed at the institution between 1996 and 2012 were analyzed. The clinical information (including age, gender and tumor location, process of tumor development, imaging data, surgical treatment and follow-up information) and pathological features were evaluated. All tumors occurred in the parotid glands; three cases were sebaceous lymphadenoma (two male and one female) and seven were non-sebaceous lymphadenoma (three male and four female). The average ages of the patients were 68.3 and 42.4 years for the sebaceous and non-sebaceous groups, respectively. The majority of cases (90%) were diagnosed as pleomorphic adenoma or adenolymphoma prior to surgery, but were confirmed as lymphadenoma by pathological analysis following surgery. During the follow-up period, which ranged between 3 and 36 months with a mean of 30 months, no recurrence of the lesion was identified and the quality of life was good for each patient. In conclusion, the diagnosis of salivary gland lymphadenoma should be based on the clinical and, in particular, the pathological manifestations of the disease. Immunohistochemistry is considered as a practical and helpful adjuvant method of the diagnosis for this type of tumor. Complete surgical resection is the first choice of treatment. Further exploration of the histological origin of lymphadenoma of the salivary gland is necessary due to the insufficient number of reported cases.