The prevalence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in patients admitted with symptoms of peritonsillar abscess or cellulitis: A retrospective multicentre study.

OBJECTIVES: Anecdotal evidence suggests that oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) should be suspected in patients presenting with symptoms of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) or cellulitis (PTC). The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of OPSCC in patients presenting with symptoms of PTA/PTC. METHOD, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We retrospectively identified all adults with a coded diagnosis of PTA or PTC who presented between 2012 and 2016 inclusive, across six ENT units in Merseyside. Records were compared to that of the centralised regional head and neck cancer database. The clinical records of a subset of patients were reviewed for the purposes of data validation. RESULTS: A total of 1975 patients with PTA/PTC were identified. Three patients were subsequently diagnosed with OPSCC. None of the three actually had an objective underlying diagnosis of PTA/PTC on the same side. The prevalence of OPSCC in patients admitted with symptoms of PTA/PTC was 0.15% or approximately 1:650 admissions. The records of 510 patients who presented over a one-year period (2016) were reviewed in even greater detail. There were 298 patients with PTA (59.4%) and 151 with PTC (29.1%) and 61 had an alternative diagnosis (11.9%). High-risk features (age ≥40, tonsillar asymmetry or tonsillar lesion) were present in 106 patients (24%). Urgent follow-up was expedited for 77 patients (73%). CONCLUSION: This study estimates the risk of OPSCC in patients with peritonsillar symptoms. The prevalence is low, even in a region with a relatively heavy disease burden. Clinicians should, however, retain a high level of suspicion in patients with persistent symptoms.

A prospective multicentre external validation study of the Liverpool Peritonsillar abscess Score (LPS) with a no-examination COVID-19 modification.

OBJECTIVES: Our primary aim was to validate the Liverpool Peritonsillar abscess Score (LPS) externally in a new patient cohort. Our secondary aim was to modify the LPS in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic to produce a no-examination variant for use in this instance. DESIGN: Prospective multicentre external validation study. SETTING: Six different secondary care institutions across the United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS: Patients over 16 years old who were referred to ENT with any uncomplicated sore throat such a tonsillitis or peritonsillar abscess (PTA). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for both the original LPS model and the modified model for COVID-19. RESULTS: The LPS model had sensitivity and specificity calculated at 98% and 79%, respectively. The LPS has a high negative predictive value (NPV) of 99%. The positive predictive value (PPV) was slightly lower at 63%. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, including the area under the curve (AUROC), was 0.888 which indicates very good accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: External validation of the LPS against an independent geographically diverse population yields high NPV. This may support non-specialist colleagues who may have concerns about mis-diagnosing a PTA. The COVID-19 modification of the LPS has a similar NPV, which may be of use where routine oral examination is to be avoided during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Liverpool Peritonsillar abscess Score: Development of a predictive score through a prospective multicentre observational study.

OBJECTIVES: While uncommon in the population at large, peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is a common subject of ENT referrals. Missed or uncertain diagnosis is a source of concern for non-specialist referrers. In line with the NHS England Second Sepsis Action Plan, we aimed to develop a predictive score for the presence of PTA. This would help to improve non-specialist colleagues' diagnostic certainty as well as to support ENT surgeons' triage of these referrals. DESIGN: Prospective, multicentre observational study. SETTING: Primary and secondary care. PARTICIPANTS: Patients >16 years with symptoms of sore throat. DATA: We prospectively collected comprehensive data on patient demographics, symptoms and clinical status. We documented whether the patient had aspiration-proven PTA or not. We performed binary logistic regression analysis, iterative development of a predictive score which we validated internally. RESULTS: 100 patients were included (46 PTA and 54 tonsillitis). Five variables added significantly to the logistic regression model: unilateral sore throat; trismus; male gender; pharyngeal voice change; and uvular deviation. Using the odds ratio outputs, we developed the Liverpool Peritonsillar abscess Score (LPS) iteratively. We validated the latest (third) iteration of the LPS internally (ie, on the same sample), yielding sensitivity 96%; specificity 85%; positive predictive value 85%; and negative predictive value 96%. The area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) curve was 0.970. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed the first predictive score for PTA based on symptoms and signs that do not require the user to have specialist experience. Its high negative predictive value may be particularly helpful to non-specialist colleagues.

Evaluating the use of Floseal haemostatic matrix in the treatment of epistaxis: a prospective, control-matched longitudinal study.

Epistaxis is a common cause of emergency admissions in ENT. The use of Floseal haemostatic matrix in the treatment of epistaxis has been investigated in a number of studies in North America. We aimed to report a UK-based experience in the context of the current UK management paradigm. The study was designed as a prospective, unrandomised, control-matched longitudinal study. Cases were matched to controls in order to reduce the risk of bias. The overall treatment success rate for Floseal was 75 %, similar to the rates reported by studies based in North America. Nasal packing carried a success rate of 85 % and there was no statistically significant difference between the success rates of both treatments. Anecdotally Floseal can also be used successfully in thrombocyctopenic patients. There was a trend towards a shorter length of stay in the Floseal group, but this was not statistically significant. The 7-day readmission rate was 10 % for both the groups. This controlled study demonstrates that Floseal has a similar treatment success rate to nasal packing and that there may be a trend towards a shorter length of stay.

Metabolic Plasticity and Combinatorial Radiosensitisation Strategies in Human Papillomavirus-Positive Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck Cell Lines.

BACKGROUND: A major objective in the management of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is to reduce long-term functional ramifications while maintaining oncological outcomes. This study examined the metabolic profile of HPV-positive SCCHN and the potential role of anti-metabolic therapeutics to achieve radiosensitisation as a potential means to de-escalate radiation therapy. METHODS: Three established HPV-positive SCCHN cell lines were studied (UM-SCC-104, UPCI:SCC154, and VU-SCC-147), together with a typical TP53 mutant HPV-negative SCCHN cell line (UM-SCC-81B) for comparison. Metabolic profiling was performed using extracellular flux analysis during specifically designed mitochondrial and glycolytic stress tests. Sensitivity to ionising radiation (IR) was evaluated using clonogenic assays following no treatment, or treatment with: 25 mM 2-deoxy-D-glucose (glycolytic inhibitor) alone; 20 mM metformin (electron transport chain inhibitor) alone; or 25 mM 2-deoxy-D-glucose and 20 mM metformin combined. Expression levels of p53 and reporters of p53 function (MDM2, p53, Phospho-p53 [Ser15], TIGAR and p21 [CDKN1A]) were examined by western blotting. RESULTS: HPV-positive SCCHN cell lines exhibited a diverse metabolic phenotype, displaying robust mitochondrial and glycolytic reserve capacities. This metabolic profile, in turn, correlated with IR response following administration of anti-metabolic agents, in that both 2-deoxy-D-glucose and metformin were required to significantly potentiate the effects of IR in these cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to our recently published data on HPV-negative SCCHN cells, which display relative glycolytic dependence, HPV-positive SCCHN cells can only be sensitised to IR using a complex anti-metabolic approach targeting both mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis, reflecting their metabolically diverse phenotype. Notionally, this may provide an attractive platform for treatment de-intensification in the clinical setting by facilitating IR dose reduction to minimise the impact of treatment on long-term function.

TP53 mutations in head and neck cancer cells determine the Warburg phenotypic switch creating metabolic vulnerabilities and therapeutic opportunities for stratified therapies.

Patients with mutated TP53 have been identified as having comparatively poor outcomes compared to those retaining wild-type p53 in many cancers, including squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN). We have examined the role of p53 in regulation of metabolism in SCCHN cells and find that loss of p53 function determines the Warburg effect in these cells. Moreover, this metabolic adaptation to loss of p53 function creates an Achilles' heel for tumour cells that can be exploited for potential therapeutic benefit. Specifically, cells lacking normal wild-type p53 function, whether through mutation or RNAi-mediated downregulation, display a lack of metabolic flexibility, becoming more dependent on glycolysis and losing the ability to increase energy production from oxidative phosphorylation. Thus, cells that have compromised p53 function can be sensitised to ionizing radiation by pre-treatment with a glycolytic inhibitor. These results demonstrate the deterministic role of p53 in regulating energy metabolism and provide proof of principle evidence for an opportunity for patient stratification based on p53 status that can be exploited therapeutically using current standard of care treatment with ionising radiation.

Metabolic signature of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: Consequences of TP53 mutation and therapeutic perspectives.

There is a pressing need to identify ways of sensitising squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN) to the effects of current treatments, both from oncological and functional perspectives. Alteration to cellular metabolism is now widely considered a hallmark of the cancer phenotype; presents a potentially attractive therapeutic target in this regard; and as such has received renewed research interest in recent years. However, whilst metabolic disruption may occur to some degree in all tumours, there is undoubtedly heterogeneity and detailed study of individual tumour types is paramount if effective therapeutic strategies targeting metabolism are to be developed and effectively deployed. In this review we outline current understanding of altered tumour metabolism and how these adaptations promote tumorigenesis generally. We relate this specifically to SCCHN by focusing on several recent key studies specific to SCCHN, and by discussing the role TP53 mutation may play in this metabolic switch, given the fundamental role of this oncogenic event in SCCHN tumorigenesis. Finally, we also offer insight into the potential therapeutic implications this may have in the clinical setting and make recommendations for future study.

Transoral laser microsurgery for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: A paradigm shift in therapeutic approach.

BACKGROUND: The contemporary treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an area of debate. We report outcomes of a minimally invasive approach involving transoral laser microsurgery (TLM). METHODS: A consecutive series of patients (n = 153) undergoing primary TLM for oropharyngeal SCC from 2006 to 2013 was studied. Human papillomavirus (HPV) status was determined by p16 immunohistochemistry and high-risk HPV DNA in situ hybridization. Survival analyses were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier statistics. RESULTS: Tumor subsites included tonsil (n = 94; 61.5%), tongue base (n = 38; 24.8%), and soft palate (n = 21; 13.7%), with the majority being American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage III/IVa (n = 124; 81.0%) and HPV-positive (n = 101; 66.0%). Three-year overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were 84.5%, 91.7%, and 78.2%, respectively. HPV-positivity portended favorable oncologic outcomes. One-year gastrostomy tube (G-tube) dependency was 1.3%. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest single-center TLM oropharyngeal SCC series to date. Our data suggest that TLM +/- postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) results in at least as good oncologic outcomes as chemoradiotherapy (CRT), while conferring swallowing function advantages. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck , 2016 © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38:1263-1270, 2016.

Teaching engineering ethics to first-year college students.

One of the methods used at Penn State to teach engineering students about ethics is a one-credit First-Year Seminar entitled "How Good Engineers Solve Tough Problems." Students meet in class once a week to understand ethical frameworks, develop ethical problem-solving skills, and to better understand the professional responsibilities of engineers. Emphasis is on the ubiquity of ethical problems in professional engineering. A learning objective is the development of moral imagination, similar to the development of technical imagination in engineering design courses. Making sound arguments is also addressed in the process of reasoning through cases, and critiquing other's arguments. Over the course of the semester, students solve five engineering ethics cases. Each week, a student team of four people is responsible for reading the assigned section of the text, developing a summary, and leading the class discussion.