Tumor deposits in thyroid carcinomas.

Tumor deposits (TDs) are defined as discontinuous neoplastic masses within the lymphatic drainage pathway of the primary tumor. The poor prognostic implication of these masses have been demonstrated in various cancers. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence of TDs in our thyroid carcinoma cases, which has not been studied so far to the best of our knowledge, and to determine the prognostic value of their existence. In this retrospective cohort study, 194 thyroid carcinoma cases with cervical lymph node sampling and/or dissection were reevaluated for TDs. The case series consisted of 176 thyroid papillary carcinoma (TPC) and 18 thyroid medullary carcinoma (TMC) patients. TDs were detected in 54 (27.8%) patients. TMC cases (55.6%) had significantly more TDs compared to TPCs (25.0%; P = .006). TDs were more common in women (P = .045), and in multifocal tumors (P = .017). In addition, cases with TDs had larger tumor size (P = .002), more lymphatic invasion (P = .009), extrathyroidal extension (P < .001), and distant metastasis (P < .001). The mean follow-up period of the patients was 120.1 months (range, 4-341 months). Locoregional recurrence detected in 17 patients (8.8%) was more common in TMC (33.3%) than TPC cases (6.3%; P = .002). Distant metastasis was identified in 27 patients (13.9%). Ten-year recurrence free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) for all patients were 89.0% and 92.4%, respectively. Mean estimated OS time for TD negative and TD positive cases were: 281.9 (±17.2), 325.6 (±6.2) and 217.6 (±27.4) months, respectively (P = .002). Sex (P = .001), tumor type (P = .002), pT classification of the tumor (P < .001), perineural invasion (P = .002) and TDs (P = .002) were significantly associated with OS. In TPC cases individually, extrathyroidal extension (P = .001) and TDs (P = .002) were significantly correlated with distant metastasis. In multivariate analysis, only tumor size was detected as an independent prognostic marker in TPC cases (P = .005). Our results demonstrate the existence of TDs in thyroid carcinoma cases, and indicate a more aggressive behavior pattern of TDs in these tumors.

Evaluation of Thyroidectomy Results Performed at a Tertiary Academic Center.

Objective: The aim of the study was to retrospectively analyze the patients who underwent thyroidectomy at a tertiary academic center regarding their surgical indications, histopathological diagnosis, and surgical complications. Methods: The study included a total of 739 consecutive patients who underwent lobectomy, total thyroidectomy, or completion thyroidectomy performed under intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of Dokuz Eylül University between January 2009 and December 2019. Demographic data of the patients, preoperative clinicopathological characteristics, postoperative complications, characteristics of surgery and histopathological results were evaluated. Results: There were 619 patients in the primary surgery and 120 patients in the revision surgery groups. Indications for surgery were suspicion of malignancy in 486, multinodular goiter in 214, and hyperthyroidism in 39 patients. Final histopathological evaluation of specimens revealed malignancy in a total of 507 (68.6%) patients. Rates of transient and permanent hypocalcemia were 7.3% (54/739) and 2.2% (16/739) in the whole group, while this was 6.6% (41/619) and 1.5% (9/619), respectively, among primary total thyroidectomy patients. There were 61 (8.3%) patients with transient recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paralysis (unilateral in 60 patients, bilateral in one patient) and five (0.7%) patients with permanent unilateral RLN paralysis as postoperative complications. Rates for postoperative hematoma, seroma, wound infection and chylous fistula were 2.2%, 3.7%, 0.1%, and 0.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Our results support the safety of thyroid surgery performed under IONM in tertiary academic centers. Every institution should document and share its own results to properly inform its patients preoperatively.

The correlations between dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and immunohistochemical data in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) can in vivo characterize tumor microvascular environment. The aim of the present study was to reveal the DCE-MRI findings and to determine the correlation between these findings and immunohistochemical data in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: Thirty-three patients diagnosed with primary HNSCC were evaluated retrospectively. DCE-MRI was conducted in all cases. CD34, CD105, and ki-67 expressions were analyzed with immunohistochemistry in tissue sections to determine micro-vessel density and proliferative activity. RESULTS: The DCE-MRI is a successful technique in distinguishing tumor tissue from normal tissue. It was determined that Ve, Ktrans, and ki-67 values were significantly higher in high-stage tumors and there were positive correlations between the Ktrans value (by standard ROI) and CD34 MVDmax and CD34 MVDmean values. No statistically significant correlation was determined between other parameters in DCE-MRI and immunohistochemical data, and T stage. DISCUSSION: DCE-MRI could successfully differentiate tumor tissue in HNSCC. Furthermore, it was observed that DCE-MRI had the potential to reveal certain immunohistochemical information in vivo.

Applying postoperative radioiodine therapy before 3 months seems to decrease ablation success in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Radioiodine can be applied for remnant ablation in low and low to intermediate-risk patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). A controversy still exists about the application time interval of radioiodine following total thyroidectomy. In this study, we investigated the effect of radioiodine (RAI) therapy timing on the success rates of the ablation. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of DTC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy and were treated with radioiodine remnant ablation during 2013-2017. Because the objective of this study was to determine the success of ablation according to the postoperative RAI therapy timing, any patients with a pathologic uptake outside the thyroid bed as well as high-risk patients determined before and at RAI therapy were excluded from the study. Finally, 503 patients with low and low to intermediate-risk groups were included in the study. Successful ablation was defined as no visible focal uptake on the neck on I-131 whole body scan with stimulated thyroglobulin (Tg) level of < 1 ng/mL and a normal or undetectable antithyroglobulin antibody (ATG). The time interval from total thyroidectomy to RAI therapy (titRAI) was calculated as months for each patient. RESULTS: A total of 115 (22.9%) patients were in the low to intermediate-risk group whereas most of the patients were at the low-risk group according to the American Thyroid Association (ATA) 2015. Successful ablation was observed in 388 (77.1%) patients. The titRAI was ≤ 3 months in 151 (30.0%) patients and > 3 months in 352 (70.0%) patients. The ratio of successful ablation was statistically higher in patients with a titRAI > 3 months (81.2% of patients) than in patients with ≤ 3 months (67.5% of patients) (χ2 11.247, p 0.001). The rate of successful ablation was 20.3% higher in patients treated after 3 months. There was no statistical difference when titRAI cut off was reduced to 2 months (p > 0.5). CONCLUSION: Investigated the effect of radioiodine therapy initiated before 3 months after total thyroidectomy and it seems to decrease ablation success.

Evaluation of Lateral Temporal Bone Resection in Locally Advanced Tumours of the Parotid Gland.

This study evaluated the effects of lateral temporal bone resection (LTBR) on local tumour control in patients with locally advanced parotid gland tumours. The medical records of seven patients treated with radical parotidectomy combined with LTBR for locally advanced primary parotid tumour at the Otolaryngology Department of Dokuz Eylul University between January 1995 and December 2016 were retrospectively evaluated. Demographic variables, tumour characteristics, treatment properties, postoperative complications, follow-up durations and local, regional and distant recurrences were analysed. Before referral to our clinic, four patients had de novo primary parotid tumours, and three patients had a recurrence of primary parotid tumours. The histopathologic diagnoses were squamous cell carcinoma in two patients, and adenosquamous carcinoma, malignant myoepithelial carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma and spindle cell sarcoma in the other patients. During the follow-up period, one patient died due to postoperative pulmonary embolism in the first month, and four patients died due to distant metastasis without local or regional recurrences. LTBR combined with radical parotidectomy in locally advanced primary malignant parotid gland tumours is a feasible surgical technique for local tumour control. However, the most common cause of death in these cases is distant metastases, despite appropriate resection.

Deaf adolescents have bigger responses for somatosensory and visual stimulations.

The functions of the sensory systems on disabled people have been one of the most investigated topics in brain research. In these studies, mostly visual stimuli had been employed while investigating the deaf participants. Limited number of electrophysiological studies revealed better visual sensory processing in deaf participants. On the other hand, studies deploying tactile stimuli especially used either electrical or painful stimulus or they focused the psychophysical assessments of thresholds associated with tactile stimuli. The present study tried to evaluate electrophysiological brain responses in deaf and control group with a unimodal study design including both the visual and non-painful tactile stimuli, and to reveal the possible changes in brain plasticity within modality basis. Thirteen congenitally deaf adolescents (mean: 14.61 ±â€¯1.06 years; 7 girls) and 10 adolescents with normal hearing (16.6 ±â€¯2.72 years; 4 girls) were recruited for the study. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and visual evoked potentials (VEP) were separately delivered to the participants and in order to maintain neutrality among sessions they were presented in random order while the electroencephalography (EEG) recordings were taken. Brain responses to non-painful tactile and visual stimuli were measured for N1, P2, and N2 components. All amplitudes of deaf group were significantly larger than all amplitudes of control group in SEP session whereas in VEP session only P2 and N2 amplitudes of deaf group were statistically larger. In addition, the latency of N1 component in VEP session was significantly earlier in deaf group. These findings suggest early cortical excitability, less neuronal capacity usage and also more efficient sensory processing in deaf group.

Sound energy absorbance characteristics of cartilage grafts used in type 1 tympanoplasty.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this prospective case-control study is to evaluate the sound energy absorbance characteristics of cartilage grafts in patients, who have undergone type 1 cartilage tympanoplasty. METHODS: Thirty-four operated ears of 32 patients and 70 ears of 35 control subjects were included. Differences of pure-tone audiometry thresholds and wideband ambient-pressure absorbance ratios with respect to the graft material, graft thickness, cartilage surface area ratio and elapsed time after surgery were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristics curve was generated to detect the absorbance level at which the reconstructed tympanic membrane behaves as 'near-normal tympanic membrane'. RESULTS: In the surgical group, wideband energy absorbance ratios at all 1/2-octave band frequencies were significantly worse than normal ears. Energy absorbance ratios at 2000 and 2828Hz frequencies were higher in patients with tragal cartilage grafts. Higher absorbance ratios at 250-750Hz range were obtained in patients with 400µm cartilage graft thickness, <50% cartilage surface area ratio and ≥5 years since surgery. A multivariate generalized linear model revealed common effects of the independent variables at 8000Hz. The receiver operating characteristics analysis generated a cut-off level of 63.20% of sound energy absorbance at 1400Hz with 83% sensitivity and 88% specificity. CONCLUSION: Even though no differences in hearing thresholds were observed; graft material, graft thickness, cartilage surface area ratio and elapsed time after surgery affected the course of sound energy absorbance after type 1 cartilage tympanoplasty as evidenced by wideband tympanometry.

Tumor deposits in salivary gland tumors.

Tumor deposits (TDs), identified in different types of carcinomas are associated with poor prognosis. Salivary gland tumors were evaluated for the first time for TDs in this series. Pathological and clinical features of 25 salivary gland carcinomas primarily treated surgically including neck dissection were determined and all cases were evaluated for TDs in dissection specimens. Seven patients (28%) had TDs. There was no difference for TDs when histological type, tumor grade, tumor localization, pT, pN stage, surgical margin, lymphovascular, perineural invasion, local recurrence, distant metastatic disease and overall survival were considered. Disease-free survival rates at 12 and 24 months were 52.5%, 28.6% and 73.3%, 57.1%, for cases with and without TDs (P = 0.463). Overall survival rates at 12 and 24 months for these groups were 85.7% and 57.1 versus 86.7% and 66.7% respectively (P = 0.916). Mean estimated recurrence-free survival time for all cases, TD negative and TD positive cases were: 171.86, 182.72 and 82.42 months, respectively. Mean estimated overall survival time for these groups were 175.80, 186.489 and 89.70 months, respectively. TDs were described in salivary gland tumors for the first time in this series and seem to be associated with poor prognosis requiring further evaluation in larger series.

Airway and sleep disorders in patients with acromegaly.

OBJECTIVE: Acromegaly is a multisystemic disorder caused by excessive secretion of growth hormone (GH). Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) such as sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) may occur in acromegaly. The aim of study was to assess the presence of sleep disorders and evaluate the systemic complications on respiratory, cardiovascular, and upper airway systems in acromegalic patients. METHODS: The study group consisted of 30 acromegaly outpatients. GH and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) measurements were obtained; body pletysmography, arterial blood gas analysis, tissue-doppler imaging, echocardiography, polysomnography, otorhinolaryngologic examination, and head-neck computed tomography were performed. RESULTS: Sixteen female (53.3%) and 14 male (46.7%) acromegalic patients had a mean age of 51.1 ± 13.2. GH was supressed in 19 patients (63.3%) when 11 had active acromegaly (36.7%). There were 17 patients with SAS (62.9%) (7: mild, 3:intermediate, 7:severe SAS) and average AHI was 16/h. Sixteen patients had predominantly obstructive SAS while one patient had predominantly central SAS. SAS was statistically more frequent in males than females (P = .015). The mean neck circumference was significantly longer in patients with SAS (P = .048). In SAS patients,the soft palate was elongated and thickened,which was statistically significant (P = .014 and P = .05).Vallecula-to-tongue distance was statistically longer in acromegalic patients with SAS (P = .007).There was a positive correlation between tonsil size,vallecula-to-tongue distance and AHI (r = 0.432, P = .045 and r = 0.512, P = .021, respectively). CONCLUSION: SDB seems to be common and clinically important in patients with acromegaly, particularly in men. The most frequent type of apnea in acromegalics is obstructive. Hormonal activity of acromegaly does not seem to have an effect on the development of SAS. Despite its high prevalence, SAS is frequently under-assessed in patients with acromegaly. Systemic complications and SDB should be researched in acromegalics.

Analysis of histopathological aspects and bone destruction characteristics in acquired middle ear cholesteatoma of pediatric and adult patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the proliferative and apoptotic activity of middle ear cholesteatoma in pediatric and adult patients, in addition to comparing its histopathological aspects and the severity of advanced bone destruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of 223 patients treated for chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma at the Otolaryngology Department of Dokuz Eylul University between January 1992 and December 2013 were retrospectively evaluated. Sixty-one patients subjected to tympanomastoidectomy due to middle ear cholesteatoma, with sufficient specimens for histopathological examination, were included in the study. Sections of archived tissues in paraffin blocks were subjected to new histopathological examinations. The proliferative and apoptotic activities of cholesteatoma were determined by immunohistochemical staining for epithelial thickness (ET), and Ki-67 and caspase-3 expression. A novel scoring system, the Bone Erosion Score (BES), was developed to estimate the severity of bone destruction. The Austin-Kartush classification score (AKCS) was also calculated. RESULTS: ET and Ki-67 expression was higher in adult patients than in the pediatric patients (p=0.009 and 0.01, respectively); however, caspase-3 immunopositivity did not show any significant intergroup differences (p=0.106). The differences in AKCS and BES between pediatric and adult patients were not statistically significant. According to the correlation analysis, a significant positive correlation was observed between AKCS and BES (p=0.001), and between ET and Ki-67 expression (when histopathological data were compared) (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The proliferative activity of cholesteatoma was higher in adult patients. Therefore, these findings do not support the theory that the aggressive clinical course of cholesteatoma in pediatric patients is correlated with its histopathological characteristics.

Tumor deposits in head and neck carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Tumor deposits, nodules in the peritumoral adipose tissue with no architectural residue of lymph node, have previously been described in colorectal adenocarcinomas. To date, however, there has been no examination of tumor deposits in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: Neck dissection specimens of 140 patients with HNSCC were reevaluated for tumor deposits. RESULTS: Tumor deposits were detected in 24 cases (17%). Cases with tumor deposits had more lymphatic invasion (p = .007), higher pathological N classification (p = .00), and more frequently showed distant metastasis (p = .003). Disease-free and overall survival were significantly shorter for tumor deposit positive cases (p = .016 and p = .005, respectively). Only tumor deposits were significant for overall survival. Tumor deposits increased the risk of recurrent disease 2294 times. Tumor deposits and pericapsular invasion were identified as independent prognostic markers; tumor deposits increased the risk of death from disease 3.4 times, whereas pericapsular invasion was associated with a 2.2-fold increase in the risk of death. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the existence of tumor deposits in neck dissection specimens of HNSCC and their association with poor prognosis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E256-E260, 2016.

The treatment of pharyngoesophageal perforation following anterior cervical spine intervention.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in pharyngoesophageal perforation (PEP) following anterior cervical spine intervention (ACSI). METHODS: We reviewed the records of four patients with PEP after ACSI. Symptoms, physical examination findings, imaging results, treatment, and follow-up characteristics were evaluated. RESULTS: All four patients had undergone ACSI for either cervical trauma or cervical disc herniation with cervical cage reconstruction. Symptoms developed within the first 10 days of the postoperative period in three patients, and in the eighth month in one patient. Mucosal defects were detected during neck exploration in three patients. Reconstruction with primary suture and a local muscle flap was utilized in two patients. Three patients were discharged 3-8 weeks after surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: In cases of PEP after ACSI, a good prognosis can be achieved when symptoms are detected in the early period and reconstruction with local muscle flap is applied.

Pharyngocutaneous Fistula after Total Laryngectomy: Risk Factors with Emphasis on Previous Radiotherapy and Heavy Smoking.

OBJECTIVE: In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to determine the incidence of pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) after total laryngectomy (TL) and to define the possible predictors for PCF formation. METHODS: The medical records of 198 patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent TL were reviewed. After the exclusion of patients with history of free flap reconstruction, previous laryngeal surgery, and previous radiotherapy (RT) for other primary cancers, the risk factors for PCF were analyzed in 183 patients who were included in the study. RESULTS: The overall incidence of PCF was 20.2%. A history of heavy smoking and previous RT were detected as independent risk factors in both univariate (p=0.004 and p=0.007, respectively) and multivariate (p=0.005) analyses. Preoperative tracheotomy (PT) longer than 14 days was a risk factor for PCF among patients with PT in the univariate analysis (p=0.031). Overall three- and five-year survival rates were statistically indifferent between the PCF and non-PCF groups (p>0.05). However, the overall five-year survival rate was lesser in the persistent PCF group (47%) than in the non-persistent PCF group (83%) (p=0.038). CONCLUSION: Heavy smoking and previous RT are independent risk factors for PCF, and the persistence of PCF decreases survival rates. Preventable measures should be taken to decrease the incidence and persistence of this complication of TL in the management of patients with possible risk factors.

Recurrent Parotid Pleomorphic Adenomas: Our Clinical Experience.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to present our findings in a series of patients who were treated for recurrent parotid pleomorphic adenoma with their clinical, surgical, and follow-up information and to discuss them in light of the recent literature. METHODS: Eleven patients who had revision surgery for recurrent pleomorphic adenoma at our institution were retrospectively analyzed for the clinical and radiological features of their lesions, surgery type, facial nerve management, and follow-up period. RESULTS: Seven patients were females and four were males with an average age of 45 years. All patients underwent previous surgeries at other institutions. Revision surgery was performed with superficial parotidectomy in six patients and total conservative parotidectomy with preservation of the facial nerve in five patients. Two patients had lesions involving the facial nerve branches necessitating sacrifice of involved branches. One patient was given adjuvant radiotherapy because of adjacent lymphatic vessel involvement with tumor cells. During the mean follow-up period of 9.1 years, there were no recurrences in any of the patients. CONCLUSION: Management of patients with recurrent parotid pleomorphic adenomas must be carefully planned according to the size, location, and multicentricity of the tumor and involvement of the facial nerve. Surgery should aim at reaching tumor-free surgical margins. Sacrifice of the facial nerve should be considered only in cases with direct involvement. In the postoperative period, patients must be followed up regularly for early diagnosis of recurrences.

Assessing Olfactory Function in Parkinson's Disease via Entropy Analysis of Chemosensory Event Related Potentials.

The relationship between Parkinson's disease (PD) and olfactory dysfunction has been investigated via psychophysical and electrophysiological assessments. Despite the increasing number of electrophysiological studies focusing on olfactory function, there are still some limitations to observe the chemosensory event-related potentials (CSERP), which are electrophysiological responses of the brain to olfactory and trigeminal stimulations, because of the low sensitivity (low signal-to-noise ratio). Recent studies attempted to establish new techniques to increase the sensitivity for evaluating the CSERP and brain responsiveness. We aimed to inspect CSERP via entropy analysis in assessing chemosensory related brain responses that has been used for the first time. Twelve newly diagnosed and non-medicated PD patients and 12 healthy subjects participated in the study. Psychophysical and electrophysiological evaluation of olfaction were assessed via Sniffin' Sticks Test (SST) and entropy analysis on CSERP in three time windows. The scores of odor threshold, odor identification and total scores of SST were lower (hyposmic) in PD patients compared to healthy subjects. Electrophysiological assessments revealed a significant change in entropy among time windows for olfactory stimulation with phenyl ethyl alcohol and trigeminal stimulation with carbon dioxide (both p < 0.05) in healthy subjects but not in PD patients. Entropy findings indicate that the brain operates in ordered state among healthy subjects in response to olfactory/trigeminal stimuli, whereas the PD patients displayed a chaotic pattern. This pattern in the PD patients suggests the lack of proper smell function. It should be studied if this pattern can be used as a biomarker for PD.

Hemoptysis caused by ectopic lingual thyroid.

A 26-year-old man was referred to emergency department complaining of hemoptysis. Imaging studies showed ectopic lingual thyroid.

Laryngeal leiomyosarcoma with coexistent tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenopathy.

Laryngeal leiomyosarcoma is an extremely rare malignancy originating from the smooth muscles of blood vessels. Herein, we present the first case of leiomyosarcoma arising from the glottic area of the larynx with coexistent tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenopathy. The patient was treated with vertical laryngectomy and anti-tuberculous medication. He has been disease-free for 24 months since initial treatment.

Dual-phase F-18 FDG PET-CT in staging and lymphoscintigraphy for detection of sentinel lymph nodes in oral cavity cancers.

AIM: Our objective was to evaluate the diagnostic role of dual-phase fluor-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) and planar lymphoscintigraphy in patients with oral cavity cancer (OCC). We also investigated the combined impact of F-18 FDG PET-CT and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in decision making for patients with OCC. METHODS: Sixteen patients (4 female, 12 male; age range, 29-81 years) were included in this prospective study. F-18 FDG PET-CT [1 (early) and 2 h (delayed) after injection] and planar lymphoscintigraphy (2h before the surgery) were performed for all the patients before surgery. The sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values in F-18 FDG PET-CT for the early and the delayed scans and tumor/liver uptake (T/L) in the lymph nodes were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curves were obtained for standardized uptake value (SUV)max and T/L. RESULTS: Histopathological evaluations revealed that 5 patients had metastatic lymph nodes (pN+) whereas 11 patients had benign lymph nodes (pN-). Out of 43 lymph nodes visualized as cN(+) in F-18 FDG PET-CT, 14 were pathologically positive for malignancy, whereas 29 were pathologically benign. There was no statistical difference between the N(+) and N(-) patients in terms of age, depth of primary tumor, and the number of mitoses. However, there was a significant difference between the N(+) and N(-) patients (P=.011) in terms of early and delayed F-18 FDG uptake of primary tumors. There was a statistically significant difference in the value of SUVmax between the early and the delayed scans for the malignant lymph nodes (P=.00). CONCLUSION: This study indicates that F-18 FDG PET-CT is a reliable method for the correct evaluation of primary tumor and N staging in OCCs. Delayed phase of F-18 FDG imaging may increase primary lesion detectability due to higher FDG uptake in primary tumors compared to the early phase of imaging. F-18 FDG PET-CT might demonstrate skip metastasis in lymph nodes which can be missed with SLNB. Although SUV values increased in the delayed phase of F-18 PET-CT imaging in detecting lymph node metastases, the specificity and positive predictive value did not increase.

Role of Elective Neck Dissection in Early Stage Lip Cancers.

OBJECTIVE: To date, the management of the neck in early stage lower lip cancers remains controversial. The aim of this study is to investigate if prophylactic neck dissection is necessary in early stage lower lip cancers. METHODS: Charts of 11 patients who underwent surgery of the primary site and neck because of T1-2N0 lower lip cancer between 1997 and 2011 were retrospectively examined. Clinical stages, surgeries, histopatological examination results, and loco-regional recurrences were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 11 patients, 10 were male (90.9%) and 1 was female (9.09%). The follow-up time of these patients was between 24-168 months (mean, 56.6 months). There were 5 patients with clinically diagnosed T1N0 tumors and 6 patients with clinically diagnosed T2N0 tumors. Suprahyoid neck dissection was performed in 4/5 T1N0 patients and supraomohyoid neck dissection was performed in the remaining 1 patient. For T2N0 tumors, 4 suprahyoid, 1 supraomohyoid, and 1 comprehensive neck dissection was performed. Histopathological examination revealed no occult metastasis in any of the patients. In 1 patient who had lower lip resection and suprahyoid neck dissection for T1N0 lower lip cancer, a contralateral neck metastasis was detected 22 months postsurgery, and a comprehensive neck dissection was performed. CONCLUSION: Our results show that in patients with T1N0 lower lip tumors, neck dissection may not be necessary; however, close follow-up is mandatory. Further researches with larger series dividing T2N0 tumors into subgroups for tumor size and thickness are necessary to determine neck treatment in these tumors.