Point-of-care Analysis for Non-invasive Diagnosis of Oral cancer (PANDORA): A technology-development proof of concept diagnostic accuracy study of dielectrophoresis in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and dysplasia.

BACKGROUND: Delays in the identification and referral of oral cancer remain frequent. An accurate and non-invasive diagnostic test to be performed in primary care may help identifying oral cancer at an early stage and reduce mortality. Point-of-care Analysis for Non-invasive Diagnosis of Oral cancer (PANDORA) was a proof-of-concept prospective diagnostic accuracy study aimed at advancing the development of a dielectrophoresis-based diagnostic platform for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and epithelial dysplasia (OED) using a novel automated DEPtech 3DEP analyser. METHODS: The aim of PANDORA was to identify the set-up of the DEPtech 3DEP analyser associated with the highest diagnostic accuracy in identifying OSCC and OED from non-invasive brush biopsy samples, as compared to the gold standard test (histopathology). Measures of accuracy included sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value. Brush biopsies were collected from individuals with histologically proven OSCC and OED, histologically proven benign mucosal disease, and healthy mucosa (standard test), and analysed via dielectrophoresis (index test). RESULTS: 40 individuals with OSCC/OED and 79 with benign oral mucosal disease/healthy mucosa were recruited. Sensitivity and specificity of the index test was 86.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 71.9%-95.6%) and 83.6% (95% CI, 73.0%-91.2%). Analysing OSCC samples separately led to higher diagnostic accuracy, with 92.0% (95% CI, 74.0%-99.0%) sensitivity and 94.5% (95% CI, 86.6%-98.5%) specificity. CONCLUSION: The DEPtech 3DEP analyser has the potential to identify OSCC and OED with notable diagnostic accuracy and warrants further investigation as a potential triage test in the primary care setting for patients who may need to progress along the diagnostic pathway and be offered a surgical biopsy.

The relevance of surgical margins in clinically early oral squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: There is controversy regarding surgical margins in the management of early oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The main objectives of this study were to assess the: relevance of the margin independent of tumour variables; threshold for a safe margin; relevance of dysplasia at the margin. MATERIALS & METHODS: UK based retrospective multicenter cohort study of patients with previously untreated and clinically early OSCC between 1998 and 2016. All patients had surgery as the primary modality and had surgical staging of the neck. Minimum follow-up was 2 years. Margins were classified as: clear ≥5.0 mm; close 1.0-4.9 mm; involved not cut-through (INC-T) 0.1-0.9 mm; cut-through (C-T) 0 mm. RESULTS: 669 patients were included. After adjusting for tumour variables Cox multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that close margins had similar survival outcomes to clear margins (Hazard Ratio(HR) 0.99 (95%CI 0.50-1.95) for Local Recurrence Free Survival (LRFS); HR 1.08 (95%CI 0.7-1.66) for Disease Free Survival (DFS); HR 0.74 (95%CI 0.44-1.25) for Disease Specific Survival (DSS); HR 0.80 (95%CI 0.58-1.11) for Overall Survival (OS)). C-T margins had significantly worse LRFS (HR 5.01 (95%CI 2.02-12.39)) and DFS (HR 2.58 (95%CI 1.28-5.20)). INC-T margins had significantly worse DFS (HR 1.98 (95% CI 1.01-3.87)). Time dependent receiver operating characteristic curve analysis did not demonstrate a clear margin threshold for LRFS within 24 months (AUC = 0.53 (95%CI 0.41-0.64)). Dysplasia at the margin did not influence LRFS or DFS. CONCLUSION: Only resection margins <1 mm independently affected survival outcomes. This should be considered when making decisions regarding adjuvant treatment.

Telomere dysfunction is related to the intrinsic radio-resistance of human oral cancer cells.

Evidence from telomerase-deficient mice strongly suggests that dysfunctional short telomeres affect cellular radio-sensitivity but this idea has yet to be extensively tested in relevant human cancer types such as oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs), which are frequently treated by radiotherapy. The OSCC line BICR7 has low levels of telomerase activity, short telomeres and high levels of telomere dysfunction (judged by a high level of anaphase bridges); whereas the BICR6 line has high levels of telomerase and is more radio-resistant. Ectopic expression of the human TElomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT) reduced telomere dysfunction and increased radio-resistance in BICR7 cells, but not BICR6. Furthermore, the radio-resistance of GM847 cells, which use telomerase-independent mechanisms of telomere maintenance, and of telomerase-negative normal human fibroblasts with long telomeres are similarly unaffected by ectopic expression of telomerase. We tested whether telomere function, as measured by the Anaphase Bridge Index (ABI), was found to be a useful predictor of radio-resistance in a panel of OSCC lines. Using inverse regression analysis, we found a strong inverse relationship between the ABI and radio-resistance (P<0.001), as measured by the Surviving Fraction at 4Gy (SF4). These results suggest that telomerase inhibitors could sensitise a subset of oral SCCs with short telomeres to radiotherapy and for the first time demonstrate that the tumour ABI may assist the selection of cancers that would be suitable for such sensitisation therapy.

European Research on Electrochemotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer (EURECA) project: Results from the treatment of mucosal cancers.

AIM: Electrochemotherapy is an effective local treatment for cutaneous tumours and metastases. In this prospective trial, six European institutions investigated electrochemotherapy in recurrent, mucosal head and neck tumours. PATIENT AND METHODS: Forty-three patients with recurrent mucosal head and neck tumours and no further curative or reasonably effective palliative treatment options were enrolled and treated with electrochemotherapy. Patients were treated in general anaesthesia using intravenous or local injection of bleomycin followed by delivery of electric pulses to the tumour area. Primary end-point was local tumour response. Secondary end-points were safety and toxicity, overall and progression free survival, and quality-of-life. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were evaluable for tumour response, pain score, side-effects and quality of life questionnaires. Six patients were not evaluable due to lost follow-up, disease progression or death before evaluation. Intention to treat analysis revealed an objective response of 56% (complete response 8 (19%), partial response 16 (37%), stable disease 10 (23%), progressive disease 3 (7%), and not evaluable 6 (14%)). Three patients (7%) remained in complete response at 30, 34, and 84 months post-treatment. The treatment procedure was generally well tolerated. Swelling of the mucosa was observed in the first days after treatment. Pain and use of pain medication rose temporarily; fatigue and dysphagia were also noted in the quality of life assessment. CONCLUSION: Electrochemotherapy can be applied to mucosal head and neck recurrent tumours accessible to the procedure with promising objective response, survival and toxicity profile. Attention should be paid to post-treatment swelling and planning of pain medication. These favourable results indicate that electrochemotherapy could play a role in patients with recurrent head and neck cancer.

High levels of telomere dysfunction bestow a selective disadvantage during the progression of human oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Human epithelial cells experience multiple barriers to cellular immortality in culture (mortality mechanisms 0, 1, and 2). Mortality mechanism 2 (M2) is termed crisis and involves telomere dysfunction due to lack of telomerase. However, proliferating normal keratinocytes in vivo can express telomerase, so it is unclear whether human squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), which usually have high telomerase levels, develop from preexisting telomerase-positive precursors or by the activation of telomerase in telomerase-deficient somatic cells. We show that 6 of 29 oral SCCs show characteristics of M2 crisis in vivo, as indicated by a high anaphase bridge index (ABI), which is a good correlate of telomere dysfunction, and that 25 of 29 tumors possess some anaphase bridges. ABIs in excess of 0.2 in the primary tumor showed a decrease in the corresponding lymph node metastases. This suggests that high levels of telomere dysfunction (>0.2) and, by inference, M2 crisis bestow a selective disadvantage on SCCs during progression stages of the disease. Supporting this, SCCs with high levels of telomere dysfunction grow poorly in culture, and the ectopic expression of telomerase corrects this, together with other features of M2 crisis. Our data suggest that a substantial proportion of oral SCCs in vivo ultimately arise from telomerase-deficient keratinocytes rather than putative telomerase-proficient cells in the undifferentiated parts of the epithelium. Furthermore, the presence of significant levels of telomere dysfunction in a high proportion of SCCs at diagnosis but not in the normal epithelium implies that the therapeutic inhibition of telomerase should selectively compromise the growth of such tumors.

Osseocutaneous radial forearm flap with beavertail modification; a case report of a novel, single, reconstructive free flap for the tongue, floor of mouth and mandible.

INTRODUCTION: Complex hard and soft tissue defects produced as a result of ablative resection of head and neck malignancy can represent a reconstructive challenge, especially when patients are medically compromised. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present the case of 72-year-old women presenting with an oral squamous cell carcinoma of the right floor of mouth invading the right mandible. Surgical management of the disease required ablative surgery with complex free tissue transfer reconstruction to provide restoration of form and function. Potential reconstructive options were limited by her medical comorbidities and poor vessel patency in the lower limbs, requiring novel thinking and adaptation of established techniques. DISCUSSION: We describe the first reported use of an osseofasciocutaneous radial forearm flap with a 'beavertail modification' to provide a single and combined reconstructive option to reconstruct a complex hard and soft tissue defect. CONCLUSION: This novel free-flap technique adds to the reconstructive armamentarium of the head and neck surgeon.

European Research on Electrochemotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer (EURECA) project: Results of the treatment of skin cancer.

Electrochemotherapy is an effective and safe method for local treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous tumours, where electric pulses cause increased permeability of cell membranes in the tumour mass, enabling dramatically enhanced effectiveness of bleomycin and other hydrophilic drugs. Here, we report results of a European multi-institutional prospective study of the effectiveness of electrochemotherapy in the treatment of skin cancer of the head and neck (HN) area, where standard treatments had either failed or were not deemed suitable or declined by the patient. A total of 105 patients affected by primary or recurrent skin cancer of the HN area were enrolled; of these, 99 were eligible for evaluation of tumour response. By far, the majority (82%) were treated only once, and 18% of patients had a second treatment. The objective response was highest for basal cell carcinoma (97%) and for other histologies was 74%. Small, primary, and treatment-naive carcinomas responded significantly better (p < 0.05), as investigated by univariate analysis. Electrochemotherapy was well tolerated and led to a significant improvement of quality of life, estimated by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaires. At 1-year follow-up, the percentages of overall and disease-free survival were 76% and 89%, respectively. Electrochemotherapy is an effective option for skin cancers of the HN area and can be considered a feasible alternative to standard treatments when such an alternative is appropriate. The precise role for electrochemotherapy in the treatment algorithm for non-melanoma skin cancer of the HN region requires data from future randomised controlled studies. (ISRCTN registry N. 30427).

Evidence based management of Bell's palsy.

Bell's palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis) is caused by the acute onset of lower motor neurone weakness of the facial nerve with no detectable cause. With a lifetime risk of 1 in 60 and an annual incidence of 11-40/100,000 population, the condition resolves completely in around 71% of untreated cases. In the remainder facial nerve function will be impaired in the long term. We summarise current published articles regarding early management strategies to maximise recovery of facial nerve function and minimise long-term sequelae in the condition.

First report of squamous cell carcinoma arising within an intraoral radial forearm free flap.

INTRODUCTION: Oral epithelial dysplasia within free tissue reconstructions of the oral cavity has been reported. We report a case where squamous carcinoma arose within radial forearm skin transferred to the oral cavity 23 years previously. After a thorough literature search we believe this is the first report of such a phenomenon. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 62-year-old man presented to our service with pain and a new mass in the left floor of mouth. The floor of mouth had been reconstructed with a radial forearm free flap (RFFF) 23 years earlier following resection of a mucosal squamous cancer. This new mass was within the reconstruction tissue. Biopsy showed multiple areas of dysplasia and a single new focus of invasive carcinoma. This new tumour was excised and reconstructed with a contralateral nasolabial flap. Formal histology showed an arrector pili muscle adjacent to invasive cancer. Some years earlier dysplasia had been noted in the free flap skin component. DISCUSSION: The skin component of free tissue transfer reconstruction flaps has been shown to develop epithelial dysplastic change. This has been found to be associated with similar levels of p53 mutation and increased Ki-67 expression within this intraoral skin and adjacent dysplastic mucosa. Our case demonstrates similar levels of expression of mutated p53 and Ki-67 in in situ epithelium and in invasive tissue perhaps supporting the idea of expansion of premalignant cells into the skin flap epidermis. CONCLUSION: We have shown for the first time that a new SCCa has developed within the cutaneous component of a free tissue transfer flap. With improved longevity of patients treated with primary surgery for oral cavity SCCa there is need for vigilance in monitoring for this cancer recurrence site.

How should we manage oral leukoplakia?

The aim of this article is to review the management of oral leukoplakia. The topics of interest are clinical diagnosis, methods of management and their outcome, factors associated with malignant transformation, prognosis, and clinical follow-up. Global prevalence is estimated to range from 0.5 to 3.4%. The point prevalence is estimated to be 2.6% (95% CI 1.72-2.74) with a reported rate of malignant transformation ranging from 0.13 to 17.5%. Incisional biopsy with scalpel and histopathological examination of the suspicious tissue is still the gold standard for diagnosis. A number of factors such as age, type of lesion, site and size, dysplasia, and DNA content have been associated with increased risk of malignant transformation, but no single reliable biomarker has been shown to be predictive. Various non-surgical and surgical treatments have been reported, but currently there is no consensus on the most appropriate one. Randomised controlled trials for non-surgical treatment show no evidence of effective prevention of malignant transformation and recurrence. Conventional surgery has its own limitations with respect to the size and site of the lesion but laser surgery has shown some encouraging results. There is no universal consensus on the duration or interval of follow-up of patients with the condition.

LIHNCS - Lugol's iodine in head and neck cancer surgery: a multicentre, randomised controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of Lugol's iodine to assist excision of moderate dysplasia, severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ at mucosal resection margins of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Oral cavity and oropharynx cancer are increasing in incidence worldwide but survival outcomes have not significantly improved over the last three decades. The presence of dysplasia or carcinoma in situ at surgical margins following resection of squamous carcinoma of the mucosal surfaces of the head and neck has been shown to be associated with a higher incidence of local recurrence and reduced survival. While invasive carcinoma in mucosal surfaces can usually be distinguished from adjacent normal mucous membrane, pre-malignant disease is much less readily distinguished at operation. We describe a protocol for a randomised, controlled trial in which we will assess the effectiveness of Lugol's iodine staining in allowing visualisation and excision of cancer margin dysplasia at time of primary surgery. METHODS/DESIGN: We will recruit 300 patients diagnosed with oral cavity or oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma. All participants will be planned for primary surgery with curative intent. After completion of baseline assessment participants will be randomised into either a standard surgical treatment arm or surgical treatment including Lugol's iodine staining. DISCUSSION: This paper describes the rationale and design of a unique trial in head and neck surgical oncology. If margin dysplasia visualisation with Lugol's iodine allows complete excision of high-risk, pre-cancer mucosa at time of primary surgery, this may lead to a reduction in local recurrence and improved survival. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN03712770.

Use of Lugol's iodine in the resection of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

We evaluated the use of Lugol's iodine in achieving surgical margins free from dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, and invasive carcinoma by an observational study of two series of 50 consecutive patients having resection of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) between November 2004 and March 2007. The standard group had resection of the primary tumour with a macroscopic 1cm margin and removal of adjacent visibly abnormal mucosa. The Lugol's iodine group had identical treatment with resection of any adjacent mucosa that did not stain after the application of Lugol's iodine (where this was feasible). In the standard group 16 patients (32%) had dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, or invasive SCC at a surgical margin. In the Lugol's iodine group two patients (4%) had dysplasia or carcinoma in situ; none had invasive SCC. Lugol's iodine is a simple, inexpensive, and apparently effective means of reducing the likelihood of unsatisfactory surgical margins in the resection of oral and oropharyngeal SCC.

Telomerase inhibition and the future management of head-and-neck cancer.

Telomeres are tandem repeats of DNA associated with specific proteins. These structures cap eukaryotic chromosomes and maintain the integrity of the chromosome ends. In the germline, telomeres are maintained by the enzyme telomerase, but in normal somatic cells the enzyme's activity is low or undetectable. Human tumours, including squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), need telomerase to maintain telomere function; inhibition of the enzyme can lead to apoptosis. Furthermore, because most tumour cells have very short telomeres, they are more likely to succumb to telomerase inhibition than normal cells. Telomerase is therefore a potential selective anticancer target. The telomere is also involved in the repair of DNA double strand breaks, and telomere dysfunction provokes radiosensitivity. In this review we consider whether manipulation of telomere function may selectively sensitise SCCHN to radiotherapy and discuss the possible pitfalls. We also assess how some conventional treatments may affect the subsequent use of telomerase inhibitors.