Primary salivary duct carcinoma arising from the Stensen duct.

This report describes a salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) arising from the extraglandular portion of the Stensen duct. The patient was a 56-year-old man who presented with a palpable, elastic, hard mass without tenderness in the right cheek. Computed tomography revealed a tumor of the extraglandular portion of the Stensen duct. Supraomohyoid right neck dissection and total right parotidectomy were performed, and the histologic diagnosis was SDC of the Stensen duct. Postoperatively, the patient received no additional treatment. Neither recurrence nor metastasis was observed during 4 years of follow-up examination. SDC of the Stensen duct is extremely rare. To our knowledge, there is no report that describes primary SDC arising from that location. We also believe this is the first report that describes the clinical course of primary SDC arising from a Stensen duct.

Expression of bone morphogenic protein in sinonasal inverted papilloma with new bone formation.

Inverted papilloma (IP) is a common benign tumor in the nose and sinus. Osteogenesis in sinonasal IP is extremely rare; to date, only five cases of IP with new bone formation appear in the literature. In addition, the mechanism of osteogenesis in IP remains unclear. Here, we describe three cases of IP with new bone formation and an investigation into a possible role for bone morphogenic protein (BMP) in osteogenesis. Of three patients with sinonasal IP with new bone formation, two were treated by endoscopic sinus surgery and one was followed up with watchful waiting. Tumor tissues were subjected to immunohistochemistry to detect BMP expression. The patients were successfully treated surgically and showed no evidence of recurrence postoperatively. Follow-up examination is ongoing. Immunohistochemically, the tumors expressed BMP-4 but not BMP-2 or BMP-7. ESS could be successfully used to achieve complete removal of the sinonasal IPs with new bone formation. BMP-4 might be associated with new bone formation in the tumor.

Correlation between anti-survivin antibody and survivin mRNA expression in head and neck cancer patients.

CONCLUSIONS: Survivin may act as a major cancer antigen in head and neck cancer, and the present study revealed a link between systemic anti-survivin antibody responses and survivin expression in cancer tissues in patients with head and neck cancer. OBJECTIVES: Survivin is highly expressed in cancer cells, but is expressed at low levels or not at all in normal tissues. Little is known about the relationship between survivin expression and antibody responses to survivin in patients with head and neck cancer. METHODS: Anti-survivin antibody responses in sera of head and neck cancer patients were investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of survivin mRNA in the cancer tissues from larynx and hypopharynx was examined by quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: Sera from 42 of 55 patients (76.4%) were positive for anti-survivin. High levels of anti-survivin were detected in patients in the advanced stage of disease. Most cancer tissues, but not normal adjacent tissues, expressed survivin mRNA, and a significant correlation between the levels of anti-survivin antibody in the serum and survivin mRNA in cancer tissues was detected.

Ancient schwannoma of the nasal septum associated with sphenoid sinus mucocele.

Schwannoma is a benign tumor arising from the sheath of myelinated nerve fibers and may occur in any part of the body. Ancient schwannoma, a variant of schwannomas, in the head and neck region is uncommon, and its occurrence in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses is extremely rare with only one case reported to date. Herein, we describe a rare case of sinonasal ancient schwannoma. The tumor arose from the nasal septum and extended to the sphenoid sinus. It was successfully treated by endoscopic sinus surgery, and the patient showed no evidence of recurrence 24 months postoperatively.

Sinonasal schwannoma with new bone formation expressing bone morphogenic protein.

Schwannoma is a benign tumor that arises from the sheath of myelinated nerve fibers and may occur in any part of the body. Osteogenesis in schwannoma is extremely rare and, to date, new bone formation in sinonasal schwannoma has not yet been reported. Here, we describe the first reported case of sinonasal schwannoma with new bone formation. The tumor was successfully treated by endoscopic sinus surgery, and the patient showed no evidence of recurrence 24 months postoperatively. Immunohistochemically, the tumor expressed bone morphogenic protein 4, indicating a possible role of this protein in the new bone formation in schwannomas.

Isolated frontal sinus aspergillosis treated by endoscopic modified Lothrop procedure.

Aspergillosis is a common fungal infection of the paranasal sinuses. Isolated frontal sinus aspergillosis is extremely rare, with only three cases reported in the literature. We report a case of isolated frontal sinus aspergillosis that was accompanied by a contralateral frontal sinus cyst enclosed osseously. The patient was treated successfully by an endoscopic modified Lothrop procedure that permitted complete removal of the fungus ball and wide opening of the frontal sinus. The patient is without evidence of disease 18 months after surgery.