Preoperative Prediction and Identification of Extracapsular Extension in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: Progress and Potential.

Background This study aimed to demonstrate both the potential and development progress in the identification of extracapsular nodal extension in head and neck cancer patients prior to surgery. Methodology A deep learning model has been developed utilizing multilayer gradient mapping-guided explainable network architecture involving a volume extractor. In addition, the gradient-weighted class activation mapping approach has been appropriated to generate a heatmap of anatomic regions indicating why the algorithm predicted extension or not. Results The prediction model shows excellent performance on the testing dataset with high values of accuracy, the area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.926, 0.945, 0.924, and 0.930, respectively. The heatmap results show potential usefulness for some select patients but indicate the need for further training as the results may be misleading for other patients. Conclusions This work demonstrates continued progress in the identification of extracapsular nodal extension in diagnostic computed tomography prior to surgery. Continued progress stands to see the obvious potential realized where not only can unnecessary multimodality therapy be avoided but necessary therapy can be guided on a patient-specific level with information that currently is not available until postoperative pathology is complete.

Parkinson's Syndrome After Cranial Radiotherapy: A Case Report.

Parkinson's syndrome is a group of signs and symptoms where the core issue is bradykinesia and could be a manifestation of idiopathic parkinsonism (Parkinson's disease, PD), secondary parkinsonism, or parkinsonism due to neurodegenerative disease. PD is the most common cause of Parkinson's syndrome, accounting for approximately 80% of cases. The secondary causes of Parkinson's syndrome include tumors, trauma, hydrocephalus, chemotherapy, medications including amphotericin B, metoclopramide, and radiation treatment. Parkinsonian symptoms secondary to radiation treatment are rarely reported in the literature and are usually not alleviated by carbidopa-levodopa. This report describes a 64-year-old man diagnosed with low-grade astrocytoma of the midbrain who developed unilateral parkinsonian symptoms one year after chemoradiation treatment. This case report also sheds further light on the details of reported cases and the treatment options through an extensive literature review. Clinicians need to be aware of patients developing this rare complication following radiation treatment.

Educating the Colleagues: Radiation Basics for Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents.

Exposure to radiation oncology (RO) is limited among medical students, excluding those who wish to pursue a radiation oncology career. Consequently, RO knowledge in gynecological malignancies may differ among obstetricians and gynecologists (OB&G), depending on their experience and training level. Establishing a program to educate OB&G residents about basic radiation oncology principles may improve patients' coordination and treatment with gynecological malignancies. At our institution, radiation oncology residents conducted a 2-part training session for OB&G colleagues, which included a lecture and hands-on training. Educational sessions targeting OB&G residents are needed to enhance knowledge about radiation treatments and improve patient care.

Stage Migration in Cervical Cancer Using the FIGO 2018 Staging System: A Retrospective Survival Analysis Using a Single-Institution Patient Cohort.

Introduction The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) changed the staging system for cervical cancer in 2018 and formally allowed cross-sectional imaging for staging purposes. Stage IB is now divided into three substages based on tumor size (IB1 < 2 cm, IB2 2-4 cm and IB3 > 4 cm). The presence of lymph nodes in the pelvis or para-aortic region will upstage the patient to stage IIIC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent of stage migration using the FIGO 2018 staging system for cervical cancer and validate the new staging system by assessing the survival outcomes. Methods An Institutional Review Board-approved and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant retrospective analysis was performed on 158 patients from the cervical cancer database at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, USA. Patients had been treated between January 2010 and December 2018, and they were all staged according to the FIGO 2009 staging system previously. We collected data regarding tumor size, lymph node presence, and extent of metastatic disease in the pretreatment CT, positron emission tomography (PET), or MRI scans and restaged the patients using the FIGO 2018 system. The extent of stage migration was evaluated using the new staging system. We analyzed the three-year overall survival (OS) using both FIGO 2009 and 2018 staging systems for validation purposes. Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed using SPSS version 24. Results Fifty-nine percent of the patients were upstaged when they were restaged using the FIGO 2018 staging system. In the current 2018 staging system, Stage IB3 accounted for 4%, and Stage IIIC accounted for 48% of the patient cohort, while other stages accounted for the rest. The median overall survival of the entire cohort was 20.5 months. There was a change in the survival curves using FIGO 2018 stages compared to those of FIGO 2009. There was a numerical improvement in three-year OS in stages IB and III among the two staging systems; however, it was not statistically significant. Interestingly, the three-year overall survival of Stage IIIC patients was better when compared to Stages III A& B combined (61% vs. 25%, p=0.017). Conclusion The increased availability of cross-sectional imaging across the world has led to recent changes in the FIGO staging system for cervical cancer, which allowed imaging in staging. We identified a significant stage migration in our patient cohort with the FIGO 2018 staging system, but no difference in the three-year overall survival was observed. Local tumor extent may be a worse prognostic indicator than nodal metastasis among stage III patients.

Predictors of Extracapsular Extension in Patients With Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck and Outcome Analysis.

Introduction Extracapsular extension (ECE) in the lymph nodes for patients with head and neck cancer has been found to be a poor prognostic factor in multiple studies. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the predictive factors for ECE on computer tomography (CT) imaging for patients undergoing surgery and to analyze outcomes. Methods We conducted an Institutional Review Board-approved, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant retrospective review of 82 patients with biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck who underwent definitive surgery without neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy. CT scans were evaluated for the level of involvement, size, and presence or absence of central necrosis. Extracapsular extension in lymph nodes on the postoperative pathology was correlated with the central necrosis in the lymph nodes appreciated on the CT neck with contrast. Survival estimates were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier test. Results ECE on postoperative pathology was seen in 74.07% of patients who had evidence of central necrosis in lymph nodes on preoperative CT neck compared to 46.43% without CT necrosis (p=0.013). The incidence of ECE is higher in poorly differentiated tumors and also nodal stages >N2c at presentation. Patents with ECE had inferior disease-free and overall survival (OS). Conclusions Our results reveal that patients with necrosis on CT and with moderately to poorly differentiated tumors have a high incidence of extracapsular extension. There was no difference in local control (LC) between the groups of patients, but the OS was inferior in patients with ECE. Predicting extracapsular extension upfront helps to formulate the appropriate treatment. We propose to study additional chemotherapy to improve outcomes in patients with positive extracapsular extension.

Factors Affecting Outcomes in Patients With Stage III & IV Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Oropharynx: The Importance of p16 Status, BMI, and Race.

Objective To identify racial disparities in survival outcomes among Stage III & IV patients with squamous cell carcinomas (SCCa) of the oropharynx treated with definitive radiation therapy (RT), with concurrent chemotherapy. Method This is a retrospective analysis of patients with stage III & IV SCCa of oropharynx treated with definitive RT at the State Academic Medical Center. All patients were treated to 70 Gy utilizing intensity-modulated radiation treatment (IMRT), and received concurrent chemotherapy with weekly cisplatin or cetuximab. Chi-square test was used to test the goodness of fit, overall survival (OS), and locoregional control (LRC) comparing races were generated by using Log-rank test & Kaplan-Meier method. The covariables associated with the OS and LRC were determined by the Cox regression model. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The SPSS 24.0 software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used. Results In the total 73 eligible patients, 54.8% were black, and 45.2% white patients. Stage distribution (per American Joint Committee on Cancer-AJCC 8th Ed) between black patients vs. white patients, Stage III (45.5% vs. 54.5%) and for Stage IV (56.5% vs. 43.5%); p=0.499. Median follow-up for the entire group was 41 months (range: 4-144 months). In the univariate analysis, variables p16 status, body mass index (BMI), alcohol history and tumor subsite were found to be significant. In the multivariate analysis, only BMI has shown to be significant. Three-year LRC for black patients was 37.8% vs.66.8% in white patients (p=0.354) and three-year OS for black patients was 51.8% vs. 80.9% for white patients (p=0.063), respectively. Five-year OS for p16 positive patients was 69.7% vs. 43% for p16 negative patients (p=0.034). Five-year OS for Stage IV black patients was 34% vs. 69.5% for Stage IV white patients (p=0.014). Conclusion Among all the co-variables examined, only BMI has shown affecting the OS outcomes; gender and BMI shown to be affecting the LRC. Racial factor appears to be significant in Stage IV patients.

An Analysis of the Racial Disparities Among Cervical Cancer Patients Treated at an Academic Medical Center in the Southeastern United States.

Objective The purpose of this study was to identify racial disparities in treatment outcomes, if any, among patients with carcinoma of the cervix treated at a tertiary care institution in the state of Mississippi. Methods A retrospective review of patients with carcinoma of the cervix treated in the Department of Radiation Oncology at our institution between 2010 and 2018 was performed. Data regarding demographics, disease stage, treatments administered, and follow-up were collected. Patient outcomes, including median survival and overall survival, were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. All analyses were performed using SPSS Statistics version 24 (IBM, Armonk, NY). Results Between January 2010 and December 2018, a total of 165 patients with carcinoma of the cervix were treated at our institution. We had a significantly higher proportion of African American (AA) compared to Caucasian American (CA) patients (59.4 vs. 36.4%; p=0.03). There was a significant difference in the disease stage at the time of presentation between AA and CA in that compared to AA women, a higher number of CA patients presented with locally advanced disease [Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages IB2 to IVA] (78.6 vs. 86.7%; p<0.001). However, a higher number of AA patients presented with metastatic disease at diagnosis compared to CA women (13.3 vs. 8.3%; p<0.001). Regarding their treatment, 157 (95.2%) underwent definitive chemoradiotherapy, while three (1.8%) had definitive surgery followed by adjuvant radiation or chemoradiation, depending on the risk factors identified operatively. The treatment details of five patients were not available. The median follow-up and the median survival of the entire cohort were 16 months and 79 months, respectively. In our cohort, there was no significant difference in overall survival between AA and CA patients at either three years (80 vs. 68%; p=0.883) or five years (77 vs. 68%; p=0.883). As expected, patients with locally advanced disease showed a significantly better median survival of 79 months compared to only 11 months for those with metastatic disease at their presentation (p<0.001). Conclusions Our study revealed that more AA women presented with metastatic disease compared to CA women. However, our analysis did not identify any racial disparities in the prognosis of the entire cohort.

Variations in Resources Among Radiation Oncology Residency Programs in the United States.

The purpose of this research was to assess the existing variations in the residency training resources among radiation oncology (RO) residency programs in the United States. We queried each residency program website and Fellowship Residency Electronic Interactive Data Access System website (www.freida.ama-assn.org) to obtain information on faculty and available treatment modalities. The data were continuously updated, most recently as of April 30, 2019. A total of 94 RO residency programs were identified during the academic year 2018-2019, and data were collected. The median number of attending physicians was 13 (range, 4 -71). The median number of physicists and biologists were 9 and 3, respectively. The conventional techniques, including 3 dimensional conformal radation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, electron therapy, and stereotactic body radiation therap/stereotactic radiosurgery, were available in all residency programs. In terms of specialized external beam radiation therapy machines, gamma knife, CyberKnife, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) linear accelerator were available in 49 (52%), 21(22%), and 7 (8%) programs, respectively. Only 19 programs (20%) had in-house proton therapy availability; however, 37 programs (39%) offered proton therapy training via resident rotation at an affiliated institution. Prostate, gynecologic, and breast brachytherapy were available in 81 (86%), 82 (87%), and 58 (62%) programs, respectively. Eighty-one (86%) programs reported to have high dose rate, and only 20 (21%) programs had low dose rate brachytherapy. Our study found that marked variations exist among RO residency programs in the United States during academic year 2018-2019 and will serve as a baseline for future intervention.

An Analysis of the Residents' Research, Education, and Wellness Resources in Radiation Oncology Residency Programs in the United States.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the variations in research, education, and wellness resources for residents among radiation oncology (RO) residency programs across the United States. A list of accredited programs for the academic year 2018 to 2019 was collected using the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education website. Individual residency program websites were used as the primary source of the data, and the Fellowship Residency Electronic Interactive Data Access System website complemented any missing data. We collected data on dedicated research time, resident rotations, wellness resources, and salary information. Excel 2013 was used for analysis. Information from the 94 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited RO residency programs during the academic year 2018 to 2019 was collected. Seventy-five (80%) programs reported the duration of dedicated research time on their websites. At least 6 months are allowed in 48 (51%) programs, and 27 (29%) programs report that dedicated research time is negotiable. Outstandingly, 20 (21%) programs allow 1 year of dedicated research time, and the median dedicated research time is 9 months. From our study, only 13 (14%) residency programs allow residents to rotate in other departments of the same institution. Fifty-nine (63%) programs allow away rotations at other institutions (external electives). An international rotation is permitted only in 19 (20%) programs. Wellness resoursces specifically fatigue managment, resident retreat and resident mentoring programs were available in 53%, 26% and 42% of programs, respectively. The salary information is obtainable for 63 institutions, and the yearly compensation ranges between $51,000 and $78,000. Moonlighting is allowed only in 28 (30%) programs. Our study found that major variations exist among RO residency programs in the United States regarding research, education, and wellness resources for residents.

Strategies to improve financial literacy and related outcomes among medical students, residents, and fellows in the United States: a scoping review protocol.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this scoping review is to explore strategies to improve financial literacy and related outcomes among medical students, residents, and fellows in the United States. INTRODUCTION: Financial wellness and literacy are essential parts of overall wellness for medical students, residents, and fellows. Financial illiteracy and increased financial debt have negative implications for medical professionals and health care. Burnout is common among medical students, residents, and practicing physicians, and financial stress is one of the causes. High medical school debt results in decreased interest in primary care specialties as the payments are lower, resulting in a shortage of primary care providers. INCLUSION CRITERIA: The review will include studies that identify strategies to improve financial literacy among medical students, residents, and fellows in the United States. METHODS: The proposed review will be conducted as per JBI methodology for scoping reviews. The search strategy will aim to locate both published and unpublished studies. The key databases to be searched include PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Academic Search Premier. Two independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts for assessment against the inclusion criteria for the review. The results of the search will be reported and presented in a PRISMA flow diagram. Data will be extracted from papers included in the scoping review using a data extraction tool. The extracted data will be presented in both diagrammatic and narrative forms.

A 25-year Experience at an Academic Medical Center in the United States: Are There Racial Disparities in the Prognosis of Patients Diagnosed With Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma?

Introduction This study attempted to identify disparities in outcomes between African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) patients treated for hypopharyngeal carcinoma at a tertiary care institution over the past 25 years. Methods An institutional review board (IRB)-approved and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)-compliant retrospective analysis was performed on patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx treated at our institution between January 1994 and December 2018. Data regarding demographics, stage, treatment, and follow-up were collected. Outcomes, including median survival and overall survival, were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. All analyses were performed using the Social Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v. 24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results We identified 144 hypopharyngeal carcinoma patients who were treated during this period. Our patient cohort consisted of 61.8% AA and 35.4% CA (P=0.538). Overall, 96% of them presented at an advanced stage (Stages III & IV) of the disease, and only 4% presented in the early stages (Stages I & II). There was no significant difference between AA and CA patients who presented with advanced disease (96.6% vs. 94.1%). In our patient cohort, 15.3% of patients did not receive any therapy; however, 51.4%, 22.9%, and 10.4% of them underwent definitive chemoradiotherapy, definitive surgery, or palliative chemotherapy, respectively. There were no significant differences in patient racial proportions within each treatment group. The median follow-up of the entire cohort was 13 months. There was no significant difference between the median survival of AA and that of CA patients (16 months vs. 15 months; p=0.917). Moreover, there was no significant difference in the overall survival between AA and CA patients at three years (27.2% vs. 36.3%; p=0.917) and five years (20.4 % vs. 16.7 %; p=0.917). Conclusions A retrospective review of patients with hypopharyngeal cancer treated at our institution over the previous 25 years did not identify significant racial disparities regarding the stage at presentation or prognosis. This study suggests that when patients have equal access to care, they appear to have a similar prognosis despite racial differences. Further studies are needed to validate this hypothesis.

Cross-Sectional Gender Analysis of US Radiation Oncology Residency Programs in 2019: More Than a Pipeline Issue?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to assess the current status of gender disparities in academic radiation oncology departments in the United States and the associated factors. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The data were collected from publicly available resources, including websites of individual radiation oncology programs, the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and the Association of American Medical Colleges. We collected data on the gender information of residents in each year (postgraduate years 2-5) and of the faculty (attendings, program director, and chair) during the academic year 2018 to 2019. Spearman's rho test, Pearson's chi-squared test, and Fisher exact tests were used for evaluating the correlation among variables using SPSS version 24. RESULTS: Women constituted 30.8% of radiation oncology residents in the United States in 2019. Eight programs (12.5%) did not have any female residents in their programs, whereas 6 programs (9%) had women constituting more than half of their resident class. The fraction of female medical students applying to radiation oncology over the last 7 years varied between 27% and 33%. Female attending physicians accounted for 30.5% of all the attending physicians in the academic programs. In the leadership positions of the department, the gender gap was wider where only 19 (20%) and 11 (12%) of programs had female program director or chair, respectively. There was a positive correlation between the number of attending physicians and the number of female residents in programs (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: A significant gender disparity continues to exist among the residents and physicians in the academic radiation oncology departments in the US. This disparity is pronounced in the leadership positions. The results of this study could be used as a benchmark to evaluate the progress that has been made by the efforts to improve gender disparities in radiation oncology.

Lack of Racial Survival Differences in Metastatic Prostate Cancer in National Cancer Data Base (NCDB): A Different Finding Compared to Non-metastatic Disease.

Background: Inconsistent findings have been reported in the literature regarding racial differences in survival outcomes between African American and white patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa). The current study utilized a national database to determine whether racial differences exist among the target population to address this inconsistency. Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed prostate cancer (PCa) patient data (N = 1,319,225) from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The data were divided into three groupings based on the metastatic status: (1) no metastasis (N = 318,291), (2) bone metastasis (N = 29,639), and (3) metastases to locations other than bone, such as brain, liver, or lung (N = 952). Survival probabilities of African American and white PCa patients with bone metastasis were examined through parametric proportional hazards Weibull models and Bayesian survival analysis. These results were compared to patients with no metastasis or other types of metastases. Results: No statistically supported racial disparities were observed for African American and white men with bone metastasis (p = 0.885). Similarly, there were no racial disparities in survival for those men suffering from other metastases (liver, lung, or brain). However, racial disparities in survival were observed among the two racial groups with non-metastatic PCa (p < 0.001) or when metastasis status was not taken into account (p < 0.001). The Bayesian analysis corroborates the finding. Conclusion: This research supports our previous findings and shows that there are no racial differences in survival outcomes between African American and white patients with mPCa. In contrast, racial disparities in the survival outcome continue to exist among non-metastatic PCa patients. Further research is warranted to explain this difference.

A Model to Improve the Workflow for Radiation Treatments in the Era of Bundled Payments: A Quality Improvement Project Report.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed alternate payment models to improve the efficiency and decrease the redundancy of health care. Bundled payments or episode-based care is one example. Herein, we report on the successful implementation of a quality improvement project in which changing the clinical workflow for postoperative radiation treatment to the hip to prevent heterotopic ossification improved the efficiency of patient care and decreased cost by eliminating redundant imaging through multidisciplinary participation. This project is a model for interdisciplinary collaboration to improve patient care and reduce unnecessary health care spending in the era of bundled payment/episodes of care program implementation.

Small Cell Carcinoma of the Prostate: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Small cell carcinoma of the prostate (SCCP) is a rare malignancy that is considered a lethal entity of prostate cancer. Once it is diagnosed, patients characteristically experience an aggressive clinical course with poor overall survival rates, which unfortunately still holds even with modern treatments. In this report, we discuss the case of a 63-year-old African American male who initially presented to the hospital with an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 9.41 ng/mL and was found to have locally extensive SCCP. After one cycle of chemotherapy, the patient's symptoms worsened, and his disease continued to progress with an increased metastatic burden. In a matter of just a few months, the patient's disease progressed from a locally advanced entity to a diffusely metastatic one, showcasing the true aggressive nature of this disease. Through an extensive literature review, this case report also sheds further light on SCCP's histological characteristics, its apparent differences from adenocarcinoma of the prostate, and its aggressive nature even through treatment.

Oligometastatic head and neck cancer: Comprehensive review.

There are limited data available regarding the management of oligometastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) patients, and no consensus guidelines are available. The objective is to review the available literature for the management of oligometastatic SCCHN. Articles were selected from English Medline literature between 1995 and 2018, searched by using the keywords: oligometastatic SCCHN/metastasectomy/stereotactic body radiation treatment (SBRT). With the available data, oligometastatic SCCHN patients appear to behave differently and tend to have a better prognosis than those with widespread metastases. Retrospective evidence suggests that the aggressive treatment of the primary disease and local treatment of the metastatic sites improves survival in oligometastatic SCCHN at diagnosis. The definitive treatment of the distant metastatic sites using metastasectomy or SBRT correlates with better survival in oligorecurrent patients. Oligometastatic SCCHN patients may have a better prognosis if treated aggressively.

Management of Advanced-stage Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma: 25-Year Experience from a Tertiary Care Medical Center.

Introduction Due to conflicting data in the literature, there is a continuing debate on whether advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma patients should be treated with definitive surgery or chemoradiotherapy. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the management and outcomes of advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma in a tertiary care institution over the last 25 years. Methods An Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved and HIPPA-compliant retrospective analysis was performed of patients with advanced-stage squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx treated at our institution between January 1994 and December 2018. Data regarding demographics, stage, treatment, and follow-up were collected. Outcomes including median survival and overall survival were calculated using the Kaplan Meier method. All analyses were performed using SPSS v. 24.  Results This study included a total of 103 advanced stage hypopharyngeal cancer patients. The median age for this cohort is 61 years (range: 41-88, SD 9.3). Of the total 103 eligible patients treated, 92 (89.3%) were male and 11 (10.7%) female; 61 (59.2%) were African Americans, 39 (37.9%) were Caucasians and three (2.9%) were other races. Seventeen patients (16.5%) had stage III disease, whereas 86 (83.5%) patients were diagnosed with Stage IV A or B disease. Seventy-two patients (69.9%) were treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy (ChemoRT group), and 31 patients (30.1%) underwent primary surgery with or without adjuvant treatments (Surgery group). The two treatment groups were similar in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, alcohol status, N staging, and subsites but were significantly different for smoking status (p = 0.035) and T staging (p = 0.024). The median follow-up was 17 months. The median survival of the overall cohort was 26 months, and five-year overall survival was 25.5%. The median survival was found to be significantly better for the surgery group as compared to the definitive chemoradiotherapy group (43 months vs 16 months, p = 0.049). The five-year overall survival (OS; 41.5% vs 18.5%, p = 0.049) and disease-free survival (DFS; 75.3% vs 56%; p = 0.029) were significantly better for patients in the surgery group compared to the chemoradiotherapy group. On multivariate Cox-regression analysis, lymph nodal status (HR = 1.27, CI: 1.00-1.62, p = 0.047) and chemoradiation treatment (HR = 1.82, CI: 1.00-3.29, p = 0.048) were associated with higher risk of mortality.  Conclusion In our single institutional experience of advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma management, the five-year overall survival rate was found to be 25.5 % and was the poorest among head and neck cancers. The patients with advanced hypopharyngeal cancer treated with surgery followed by adjuvant radiation or chemoradiation have significantly improved overall survival compared to those treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy. Further research warranted for early detection and better treatment to improve the cure rate in hypopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of nasal cavity and paranasal sinus with 13 years of follow-up-A case report and review of literature.

Although extremely rare, sarcomas including malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors should be considered in the differential diagnosis of sino-nasal tract lesions. Long-term cure is possible through definitive operative management followed by adjuvant therapy.

A Case of Transformation of Primary Cutaneous Follicle Center Lymphoma to Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Involving the Parotid Gland and Cervical Lymph Nodes.

BACKGROUND Transformation of primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma (PCFCL), a low-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), into a high-grade NHL is rare with uncertain prognosis and treatment. A case is reported of a 40-year-old man who presented with a scalp mass that was diagnosed histologically as PCFCL. Imaging of the head and neck identified diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) involving the parotid gland and cervical lymph nodes, which responded well to radiation therapy. CASE REPORT A 40-year-old African American man presented with a two-year history of a progressively enlarging scalp mass that measured 10.5×7.1×6.6 cm. Histology showed a low-grade lymphoma with a follicular pattern. Immunohistochemistry was positive for B-cell markers and Bcl-6, consistent with a diagnosis of PCFCL. Computed tomography (CT) identified a 4.9×3.7×3.4 cm mass in the left parotid gland with bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy that had been present for the previous two or three months. The diagnosis of DLBCL was made on histology from a needle biopsy. Treatment began with rituximab, etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin (R-EPOCH) chemotherapy, followed by radiation therapy to the scalp, both sides of the neck, and left parotid gland. At four-month follow-up, combined positron emission tomography (PET) and CT showed only diffuse low-level uptake in the scalp and parotid gland. CONCLUSIONS Transformation of low-grade PCFCL to high-grade DLBCL is rare, and the approach to treatment varies. This case showed a good response to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Analysis of a real time group consensus peer review process in radiation oncology: an evaluation of effectiveness and feasibility.

BACKGROUND: Peer review systems within radiation oncology are important to ensure quality radiation care. Several individualized methods for radiation oncology peer review have been described. However, despite the importance of peer review in radiation oncology barriers may exist to its effective implementation in practice. The purpose of this study was to quantify the rate of plan changes based on our group peer review process as well as the quantify amount of time and resources needed for this process. METHODS: Data on cases presented in our institutional group consensus peer review conference were prospectively collected. Cases were then retrospectively analyzed to determine the rate of major change (plan rejection) and any change in plans after presentation as well as the median time of presentation. Univariable logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with major change and any change. RESULTS: There were 73 cases reviewed over a period of 11 weeks. The rate of major change was 8.2% and the rate of any change was 23.3%. The majority of plans (53.4%) were presented in 6-10 min. Overall, the mean time of presentation was 8 min. On univariable logistic regression, volumetric modulated arc therapy plans were less likely to undergo a plan change but otherwise there were no factors significantly associated with major plan change or any type of change. CONCLUSION: Group consensus peer review allows for a large amount of informative clinical and technical data to be presented per case prior to the initiation of radiation treatment in a thorough yet efficient manner to ensure plan quality and patient safety.