Purpose
Our aim is to determine the impact of the size of ROI in detecting subcentimeter metastatic lymph nodes in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Secondary aim is to ...determine the impact of the histopathologic grade of the primary cancer on the ADC value of the metastatic nodes.
Methods
The prospective study included 51 patients with histopathologically proven HNSCC at the primary site. Primary site includes oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx. ADC values of the lymph nodes were measured on ADC maps by placing two ROIs in the lymph nodes (0.2 cm
2
in the center of the node and the whole node). Lymph nodes were dissected by levels, marked by the surgeon, and sent to the pathologist.
Results
By applying a smaller ROI, ADC values have greater sensitivity, specificity, NPV, PPV, and AUC in detecting metastasis compared to the ADC value of the entire node (88.0%, 80.73%, 90.7%, 75.9%, 0.912% versus 80.0%, 77.98%, 85% ,71.4%, and 0.819%, respectively)
p
< 0.001. Statistically significant negative correlation was established between the tumor grade and the ADC of lymph node at ROI 0.2 cm
2
and ROI of the whole lymph node (rho = − 0.425;
p
= 0.002, and rho = − 0.298;
p
= 0.038, respectively).
Conclusion
ROI size affects the ADC value of the nodes. The higher histopathological grade of the primary tumor is inversely correlated with the ADC value of the lymph nodes
Well-differentiated cancers, both papillary and follicular, account for 90% of all diagnosed thyroid cancers. They have an indolent disease course with a 20-year disease-specific survival over 90%. ...According to current guidelines, the therapy of choice for well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma is total thyroidectomy or lobectomy. The indication for prophylactic central neck dissection is still a controversial issue and the subject of unfinished and ongoing debate. There is no indication for prophylactic central neck dissection in follicular thyroid carcinomas, which primarily metastasize hematogenously. In small solitary papillary thyroid carcinomas (T1 and T2), prophylactic central neck dissection is not indicated as it does not bring benefits in terms of improved patient survival and at the same time significantly increases the risk of temporary and permanent postoperative complications. Prophylactic central neck dissection is indicated in advanced papillary thyroid cancers (T3 and T4) and all other high-risk well-differentiated thyroid cancer, as well as in the presence of metastatic lymph nodes in the lateral neck.
Oral mucositis (OM) occurs in more than 95% of patients irradiated in the head and neck area. This paper aims to determine the occurrence and characteristics of OM in patients with head and neck ...cancer (HNC), as well as the involvement of dentists/oral medicine specialists in treating such patients.
: This study was conducted at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Department of Oral Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb, from April to August 2022, on patients irradiated in the head and neck area. A unique OM questionnaire was created on the incidence, characteristics, oral care, and involvement of dentists in the overall care.
: Thirty patients filled out the questionnaire. Of the 22 patients who had developed OM, 14 had grade-three OM. Ten patients were treated for OM in line with the instructions of an oral medicine specialist, eight based on the instructions of a specialist responsible for monitoring of the underlying disease, and four were not treated at all. Sixteen patients had not been referred to a dentist before the start of RT.
: These results showed insufficient care and treatment of OM, as well as insufficient involvement of dentists in the oncology team.
Surgical management of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) includes total thyroidectomy and lobectomy. After lobectomy, a reoperation called completion thyroidectomy is occasionally required. ...Postoperative hypocalcemia is the most common complication associated with thyroid surgery. Our main goal was to determine if there is a significant difference between the incidence rate of postoperative hypocalcemia in patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for PTC compared with patients who underwent completion thyroidectomy for PTC. Apart from that, we analyzed the following potential predictive factors for the occurrence of hypocalcemia: sex, age, size of tumor, side of tumor, maximum diameter of individual lobe, occult metastasis, and operating surgeon. The study involved 340 patients who underwent surgery for PTC at the Department of ENT and Head and Neck Surgery, Zagreb University Hospital Centre, between February 25, 2013 and January 3, 2016. Postoperative hypocalcemia incidence rates were higher in the total thyroidectomy group than in the completion thyroidectomy group (37.8% and 29.0%, respectively). However, these differences were not statistically significant. Every analyzed potential predictive factor was proven not to have any correlation with postoperative hypocalcemia. This study demonstrated that there was no significant difference between postoperative hypocalcemia rates in patients who underwent completion thyroidectomy compared with patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for PTC.
Postoperative chyle leak is a rare but serious complication of head and neck surgery. Chyle leak can lead to a systemic metabolic imbalance, a prolonged wound healing and longer hospital stay. Early ...identification and treatment are crucial for good surgical outcome. The diagnosis can be made intraoperatively or in the early postoperative period. Various treatment options described in the literature can be divided into conservative and surgical modalities. Currently, there is no evidence that any approach is superior to the other due to relatively small number of studies describing chyle leak management. There are no official guidelines for the treatment of postoperative chyle leak. The aim of this article is to present the therapeutic possibilities and to offer an algorithm for chyle leak management.
The aim of this study was to demonstrate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the number and characteristics of head and neck cancer patients in two consecutive periods, pre-pandemic and pandemic. For ...this purpose, we performed a retrospective analysis of patients with primary carcinomas of head and neck mucosal sites, salivary gland tumors, as well as neck metastases. Two pre-COVID-19 years (2018-2019) and two pandemic years (2020-2021) were compared. Demographic data, overall number of patients, TNM classification of the two most affected sites (oral cavity and larynx), time from symptom onset to first outpatient admission to our department, and time from first admission to treatment initiation were noted. Study results revealed a higher number of patients during the pandemic period and difference in the distribution of tumor sites (χ2=33.68, df=9, p<0.001). Oral cavity cancer prevailed over laryngeal cancer during the pandemic period. A statistically significant difference was observed in delay of initial presentation to head and neck surgeon for oral cavity cancer during the pandemic period (p=0.019). Furthermore, significant delay was found for both sites concerning time from initial presentation to the beginning of treatment (larynx: p=0.001 and oral cavity: p=0.006). Despite these facts, there were no differences in TNM stages comparing two observed periods. Study results indicated that there was a statistically significant delay of surgical treatment for both cancer sites observed (oral cavity and larynx) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survival study is necessary in the future to definitely reveal the true consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on treatment outcomes.
Background: Electrical impedance (EI) is a property of all living tissues and represents the resistance to the electric current flow through a living tissue. EI depends on the structure and chemical ...composition of the tissue. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of age, sex, and electrode pressure on the EI values of healthy oral mucosa. The study involved 101 participants with healthy oral mucosa who were divided into three age groups. EI was measured in seven anatomical regions. Results: Significant differences between different age groups were found. Younger participants (20–40 years) had significantly higher EI values than the older participants (60+). Significantly higher EI values were found in women at all localisations at all measured frequencies, except on the hard palate. EI values measured with higher sub-pressure were significantly lower than values measured with lower sub-pressure at all frequencies and localisations, except the tongue dorsum, tongue border, and sublingual mucosa. Conclusions: This study found that EI values in healthy oral mucosa depend on age and sex and may also depend on the pressure of the measuring device. These factors should be kept in mind when EI is used as a diagnostic method for different oral lesions.
The aim was to determine immunohistochemical expression of NEDD9 protein in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and the possible relation of its expression with primary tumor size (T), ...regional lymph node status (N), stage of disease (TNM) and survival period. A total of 131 patients with primary tumor localization in the area of oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx, monitored for at least 5 years after initial surgical treatment were analyzed. The study included 128 male and three female patients, median age 62.0 (range 53.0-68.0) years. Of these, 105 (95%) patients showed positive NEDD9 expressed by dyed cytoplasm. There were no significant differences in NEDD9 expression according to TNM tumor status. Patients with positive NEDD9 expression had a significantly higher median (IQR) survival time 51.0 (15.0-60.0) months as compared to 22.5 (9.0-55.0) months in patients with negative NEDD9 expression (p=0.048). NEDD9 negative expression, controlled for the influence of other variables included in the Cox’s proportional hazards model, had a significant hazard ratio (HR) of 2.10 (95% CI: 1.23-3.58; p=0.006). The results of our study showed that NEDD9 expression might be an independent prognostic marker in patients with HNSCC regarding data on overall survival and mortality.
Papilarni i folikularni karcinomi čine 90% svih zloćudnih tumora štitnjače. Dobro diferencirani karcinomi štitnjače imaju
indolentan tijek bolesti, s dvadeset godišnjim za bolest specifičnim ...preživljenjem preko 90%. Totalna tireoidektomija je
terapija izbora za većinu bolesnika. Kod bolesnika s karcinomima niskog rizika moguće je učiniti samo lobektomiju zahvaćenog
režnja, a da se pritom ne ugrozi ukupno preživljenje bolesnika. Profilaktička disekcija središnjeg dijela vrata predmet
je brojnih istraživanja zbog nejasnih kliničkih posljedica njezina izvođenja. Kod folikularnih karcinoma štitnjače koji primarno
metastaziraju hematogeno, nema indikacije za profilaktičku disekciju središnjeg vrata. Kod malih solitarnih papilarnih
karcinoma štitnjače (T1 i T2) profilaktička disekcija središnjeg vrata nije indicirana, jer ne donosi koristi u smislu poboljšanog
preživljavanja pacijenata, a istodobno značajno povećava rizik od privremenih i trajnih postoperativnih komplikacija,
poput pareza i paralize povratnog laringealnog živca i hipoparatireoidizma. Ipsilateralna profilaktička disekcija središnjeg
vrata indicirana je kod uznapredovalih papilarnih karcinoma štitnjače (T3 i T4) te kod svih ostalih koje karakterizira visok
rizik za povrat bolesti ili regionalnu diseminaciju. Metastatski limfni čvorovi na lateralnom vratu, s urednim predoperativnim
statusom limfnih čvorova središnje regije vrata, također su indikacija za profilaktičku disekciju središnjeg vrata.
Postoperativna limforeja je rijetka, ali ozbiljna komplikacija operacija u području glave i vrata. Limforeja može dovesti
do sistemskog metaboličkog poremećaja, produženog cijeljenja rane i ...produljenog bolničkog liječenja. Rano prepoznavanje
i liječenje temelj su dobrog kirurškog ishoda. Dijagnoza se može postaviti tijekom operacije ili u ranom postoperativnom
periodu. Različite metode liječenja opisane u literaturi možemo podijeliti u konzervativne i kirurške. Trenutno nema dokaza
da je i jedan pristup bolji od drugog radi malog broja studija koje opisuju zbrinjavanje ove kirurške komplikacije. Ne postoje
službene smjernice za liječenje limforeje nakon operacije. Cilj ovog rada je prikazati terapijske mogućnosti i predložiti algoritam
za zbrinjavanje bolesnika s limforejom.