Significant differe nces in demographic, clinical, and pathological features in relation to smoking and alcohol consumption among 1,633 head and neck cancer patients

OBJECTIVE: As a lifestyle-related disease, social and cultural disparities may influence the features of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in different geographic regions. We describe demographic, clinical, and pathological aspects of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck according to the smoking and alcohol consumption habits of patients in a Brazilian cohort. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed the smoking and alcohol consumption habits of 1,633 patients enrolled in five São Paulo hospitals that participated in the Brazilian Head and Neck Genome Project - Gencapo. RESULTS: The patients who smoked and drank were younger, and those who smoked were leaner than the other patients, regardless of alcohol consumption. The non-smokers/non-drinkers were typically elderly white females who had more differentiated oral cavity cancers and fewer first-degree relatives who smoked. The patients who drank presented significantly more frequent nodal metastasis, and those who smoked presented less-differentiated tumors. CONCLUSIONS: The patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck demonstrated demographic, clinical, and pathological features that were markedly different according to their smoking and drinking habits. A subset of elderly females who had oral cavity cancer and had never smoked or consumed alcohol was notable. Alcohol consumption seemed to be related to nodal metastasis, whereas smoking correlated with the degree of differentiation. .

Câncer de faringe tratado com tonsilectomia radical transoral por cirurgia robótica / Transoral robotic radical tonsillectomy for pharynx squamous cell carcinoma

Com a Cirurgia Robótica Transoral (TORS), padronizada por Weinstein, houve um acréscimo de facilidades para as cirurgias transorais em áreas de difícil acesso, onde havia necessidade de acessos combinados. Relata-se o caso de um doente com carcinoma espinocelular de orofaringe, T1N2bM0, submetido a TORS, onde se ressecou totalmente o tumor com margens, sem mandibulotomia. Não houve falhas do sistema, complicações ou acidentes. Foi realizada traqueostomia de proteção, retirada no dia da alta, no quarto pós-operatório, com alimentação oral. A TORS ofereceu excelente acesso para a ressecção da amígdala, mesmo em seu coto mais caudal, ao nível da epiglote.

The Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS), standardized by Weinstein, provides facilities to transoral surgeries in difficult access areas, where a combined access would be indicated.We describe the case of a patient with a T1N2bM0 squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, treated through TORS, transorally ressected without a mandibulotomy access. The surgery was conducted without any systems' failure, accidents or complications. We performed a tracheotomy, deccanullated at the forth postoperative day, at the time of the patient discharge, receiving oral feeding. The TORS offered an excellent access for radical tonsilectomy, including the transition to the hypopharynx, at the level of the epiglottis.