A review of head and neck cancer staging system in the TNM classification of malignant tumors (eighth edition).

A number of major modifications were made to the classification of head and neck carcinomas in the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer, Cancer Staging Manual and Union for International Cancer Control TNM classification of Malignant Tumors. These modifications were aimed at improving the prognosis prediction accuracy of the system. In this article, we review the new edition of the TNM classification system. Among the several changes in the new system, a separate algorithm for p16-positive oropharyngeal carcinoma was included, as were new chapters on 'Head and Neck Skin Carcinoma' and 'Unknown Primary Carcinoma-Cervical Nodes.' Changes to Tumor (T) classification were made by introducing the depth of invasion of oral carcinoma, whereas changes to Node (N) classification were made by adding extra-nodal extension. It is believed that these changes will help improve the accuracy of the system in the prediction of prognosis. However, it is necessary to verify their validity through further clinical research.

Matched-pair analysis of patients with advanced hypopharyngeal cancer: surgery versus concomitant chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic outcomes of total pharyngolaryngectomy with those of concomitant chemoradiotherapy in advanced hypopharyngeal cancer. METHODS: This is a retrospective multi-institutional study. The medical records of 979 patients with hypopharyngeal cancer, who were initially treated between 2006 and 2008, were reviewed. In this study, we matched a group of total pharyngolaryngectomy patients with a second group of chemoradiotherapy patients, according to age, gender, subsite, arytenoid fixation, cartilage invasion, and N classification, and analyzed overall survival, disease-specific survival, and locoregional control rates. RESULTS: The matched-pair analysis included 254 patients. The 5-year overall survival, disease-specific survival, and locoregional control rates were 58.5% and 53.5% (P = 0.30), 68.9% and 68.0% (P = 0.80), and 82.2% and 63.6% (P < 0.01), respectively, for patients in the total pharyngolaryngectomy and chemoradiotherapy groups. For T4a patients with cartilage invasion, the matched-pair analysis included 46 patients. The 5-year overall survival, disease-specific, and locoregional control rates were 56.5% and 26.0% (P = 0.092), 56.5% and 41.3% (P = 0.629), and 43.0% and 42.5% (P = 0.779), respectively, for patients in the total pharyngolaryngectomy and chemoradiotherapy groups. CONCLUSIONS: The data from this large-scale multi-institutional joint research program of hypopharyngeal cancer in Japan suggest that chemoradiotherapy may provide adequate survival benefit for hypopharyngeal cancer patients with the distinct advantage of larynx preservation. Our data also suggest that chemoradiotherapy is as beneficial as total pharyngolaryngectomy for the local control of locally advanced hypopharyngeal cancer.

Closing an Intractable Tracheoesophageal Fistula Caused by a Tracheoesophageal Shunt Using a Myocutaneous Flap and a Hinged Flap With Skin Graft in a Two-Step Procedure.

Total laryngectomy involves removal of the vocal cords resulting in the loss of vocal function. After laryngectomy, the patient's vocal function can be restored in several ways, including the insertion of a tracheoesophageal (TE) shunt. A TE shunt is considered an effective means of restoring speech due to its high efficacy, low requirement for training, and no need for any equipment while speaking. However, complications such as saliva inflow into the trachea, caused by the widening of the shunt opening, have also been reported. Moreover, the optimal treatment for an enlarged fistula has not yet been established. A fistula may also form at sites of hypopharyngeal reconstruction with free jejunal transplantation. Following its formation, the influx of saliva, infections, and pressure exerted by the act of swallowing make a fistula resistant to closure, and most patients require closure surgery using myocutaneous flaps. We encountered a case where an intractable TE fistula formed due to a TE shunt after the patient underwent total pharyngolaryngeal resection for hypopharyngeal cancer and hypopharyngeal reconstruction with a free jejunum flap. Since the optimal method for the TE fistula closure remains uncertain, we attempted to close the fistula according to the fistula closure of the free jejunal transplantation. Failure to close a TE fistula using a myocutaneous flap necessitates a re-closure procedure. However, because the surgical field around the trachea can be limited in such patients, creating an additional myocutaneous flap may not be feasible. In addition to the myocutaneous flap, ventilation control using a conventional intubation tube may further narrow the surgical field during the re-closure surgery. Based on our experience and existing literature, in this article, we summarize several ways of managing TE fistula when the surgical field around the trachea is limited.

Long-term results of Amatsu tracheoesophageal shunt: Follow-up of more than 5 years.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The Amatsu tracheoesophageal shunt (ATES) represents a nonprosthesis surgical option for voice restoration in laryngectomized patients. However, data regarding the long-term efficacy of ATES are lacking. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, single-institution study. METHODS: Between 2001 and 2010, 16 patients with laryngeal cancer underwent total laryngectomy with ATES at the Hyogo Cancer Center (Akashi, Hyogo, Japan). Of these, 11 achieved long-term tracheoesophageal speech that was maintained for a follow-up exceeding 5 years (range 75-161 months; median 95 months). All patients were male and ranged from 46 to 74 years of age at the time of ATES surgery. RESULTS: Of 11 eligible patients, eight were able to speak intelligibly with ATES at last follow-up. Regarding aspiration, three patients experienced no leakage, and six experienced mild leakage of saliva without medical intervention at last follow-up. Almost all patients maintained an unchanged degree of voice quality (9 of 11) and leakage (8 of 11). CONCLUSION: The favorable voice restoration and low aspiration rates achieved in this study appear to support the long-term efficacy of ATES. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 128:1395-1397, 2018.

Bazex Syndrome with Hypoalbuminemia and Severe Ascites.

Bazex syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic dermatosis. The underlying malignancy frequently is squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract or cervical lymph nodes from an unknown primary site. We report a 63-year-old man with squamous cell carcinoma of cervical lymph nodes from an unknown primary site. He developed a mass on the right side of his neck, cutaneous lesions diagnosed as Bazex syndrome, hypoalbuminemia, and severe ascites. Right neck dissection was performed. After neck dissection, not only the cutaneous lesions, but also the severe hypoalbuminemia and severe ascites were improved. Bazex syndrome may be associated with hypoalbuminemia and ascites.

Modified partial maxillary swing approach for myxofibrosarcoma in pterygopalatine fossa.

BACKGROUND: Extirpation of tumors arising in the pterygopalatine fossa is challenging because of its anatomic complexity. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 67-year-old man was referred to our department with a diagnosis of a tumor in his left pterygoid fossa. An incisional biopsy through the canine fossa was diagnosed as myxofibrosarcoma. The upper part of the maxilla was swung laterally to remove the tumor while the hard plate was preserved. The defect was reconstructed using rectus abdominis musculocutaneous free and ipsilateral temporal. The postoperative course was uneventful, without facial palsy or mastication disorders. CONCLUSION: Our experience with this case suggests that the modified partial maxillary swing approach with preservation of the hard palate and orbital floor in combination with infratemporal and cervical approaches is useful for lesions in the pterygoid process without causing severe complications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E2519-E2522, 2016.

Expression of amphiregulin in mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the major salivary glands: a molecular and clinicopathological study.

In mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), CRTC1-MAML2 fusion indicates a favorable prognosis. Amphiregulin (AREG), an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligand, has been shown to be a downstream target of CRTC1-MAML2 fusion, and to play a role in tumor growth and survival in CRTC1-MAML2-positive MEC cell lines. The aim of this study was to characterize the AREG and EGFR expression in the fusion-positive and fusion-negative MEC of the major salivary gland. The AREG and EGFR expression were studied by immunochemistry in 33 MEC cases of the major salivary glands. CRTC1-MAML2 fusion was tested by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (23 CRTC1-MAML2 fusion-positive, 10 fusion-negative). Of 23 fusion-positive cases, AREG and EGFR overexpression were detected in 17 (73.9%) and 14 (60.9%) cases, respectively. Of 10 fusion-negative cases, AREG and EGFR overexpression were detected in 1 (10%) and 3 (30.0%) cases, respectively. There was a positive correlation between CRTC1-MAML2 fusion and AREG overexpression (P < .01), but not between CRTC1-MAML2 fusion and EGFR overexpression. The AREG overexpression was associated with a longer disease-free survival of the MEC patients (P = .042), but EGFR overexpression was not. In this study, we showed that AREG overexpression was detected more frequently in the CRTC1-MAML2 fusion-positive tumors than in fusion-negative tumors. Detection of AREG expression may be useful for identifying CRTC1-MAML2-positive MECs and as a marker for favorable prognosis.

Infratemporal fossa metastasis of papillary thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) occasionally metastasizes to lung and bone, but rarely to skeletal muscles. In this study, we present an unusual case of metastasis of PTC to the infratemporal fossa of a previously treated patient with PTC. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 74-year-old man with a diagnosis of PTC underwent subtotal thyroidectomy and neck dissection on the left side. Metastasis to the infratemporal fossa developed 13 years after the initial treatment. The patient underwent extirpation of the tumor via the infratemporal fossa approach with semicoronal skin incision. Right neck dissection and resection of residual thyroid tissue were also performed simultaneously. The patient underwent 131-Iodine therapy and has been followed up for 12 months with no evidence of disease. CONCLUSIONS: The possibility of metastasis of PTC should be included as a differential diagnosis if an unusual mass manifests in any location in patients with PTC.

Serum and tissue metabolomics of head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND: No reliable clinical markers to diagnose early stage-disease and predict its prognosis have yet been found for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, the metabolomic analysis of serum and tissue samples obtained from patients with HNSCC was performed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. RESULTS: In serum, levels of several metabolites related to the glycolytic pathway, such as glucose, were higher in patients with HNSCC, and the levels of several amino acids were lower. In contrast to sera, the levels of many metabolites related to the glycolytic pathway appeared to be lower in tumor tissues of HNSCC than in non-tumorous tissues, and the levels of several amino acids, such as valine, thyrosine, serine and methionine, were higher. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that changes in metabolite patterns are useful in assessing the clinical characteristics of HNSCC, and will hopefully lead to the establishment of novel diagnostic tools.