Head & neck cancer

PURPOSE: Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer worldwide, wherein the immune responses are closely associated with disease occurrence, development, and prognosis. Investigation of the role of immunogenic cell death-related genes (ICDGs) in adaptive immune response activation may provide cues into the mechanism underlying the outcome of HNSCC immunotherapy. METHODS: ICDGs expression patterns in HNSCC were analyzed, after which consensus clustering in HNSCC cohort conducted...

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an important role in creating an immunosuppressive microenvironment in cancer tissues. However, the mechanisms by which Tregs are activated and suppress cancer immunity remain unclear. To elucidate these mechanisms, we performed a T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire analysis of Tregs and conventional T cells in peripheral blood, draining lymph nodes (DLNs), and cancer tissues of patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). We found that the TCR repertoire was skewed in cancer tissue and metastatic DLNs (M-DLNs) compared with non-metastatic DLNs, and TCR repertoire similarities in Tregs and CD8+ T cells between M-DLNs and cancer tissue were high compared with those at other sites...

INTRODUCTION: 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has become the mainstay for staging and post-therapy surveillance of cancer as malignant neoplasms generally demonstrate higher FDG uptake that benign entities. However, there are certain benign lesions, most notably oncocytic tumors, that can display very high uptake and fine needle aspiration (FNA) is usually done to confirm malignancy. Therefore, it is important to recognize that benign oncocytic lesions of the head and neck may also present as FDG-avid lesions to avoid a diagnostic pitfall...

OBJECTIVE: Despite multiple studies from high-income countries, reports from low- and middle-income countries on the impact of COVID-19 on head and neck cancer care remain sparse. This study aimed to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on head and neck cancer patients at a tertiary reference centre in Bosnia and Herzegovina. METHODS: We included 228 patients with malignant head and neck tumours evaluated and treated between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021...

BACKGROUND: Current segmentation approaches for radiation treatment planning in head and neck cancer patients (HNCP) typically consider the entire mandible as an organ at risk, whereas segmentation of the maxilla remains uncommon. Accurate risk assessment for osteoradionecrosis (ORN) or implant-based dental rehabilitation after radiation therapy may require a nuanced analysis of dose distribution in specific mandibular and maxillary segments. Manual segmentation is time-consuming and inconsistent, and there is no definition of jaw subsections...

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer accounts for 5% of the population who develop central nervous system metastasis, which is only second to the lung cancer. Breast cancer metastasis to the brain including parenchymal brain metastasis (BM) and leptomeningeal metastasis (LM). Compared with BM, LM is a more rare but aggressive metastatic diagnosis with poor outcome. CASE DESCRIPTION: We reported a 38-year-old woman presented to the neurology department due to progressive headache for 1 month, accompanied with dizziness, nausea, vomiting and neck pain...

Dysphagia is a common symptom encountered in clinical practice, typically associated with a wide range of etiologies, including structural abnormalities, inflammatory conditions, neoplasms, and neurological disorders. However, the combination of subcutaneous emphysema, vocal cord palsy, enlarged arytenoids, and pooling of saliva in a dysphagic patient represents a rare and intriguing presentation. A 33-year-old female presented at a tertiary care hospital in Western India with hoarseness of voice, difficulty in swallowing, productive cough, and neck pain for two months with an abrupt increase in the severity of all symptoms in two days...

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a high mortality rate. In this study, we developed a Stokes-vector-derived polarized hyperspectral imaging (PHSI) system for H&E-stained pathological slides with HNSCC and built a dataset to develop a deep learning classification method based on convolutional neural networks (CNN). We use our polarized hyperspectral microscope to collect the four Stokes parameter hypercubes (S0, S1, S2, and S3) from 56 patients and synthesize pseudo-RGB images using a transformation function that approximates the human eye's spectral response to visual stimuli...

Reducing proton treatment time improves patient comfort and decreases the risk of error from intra-fractional motion, but must be balanced against clinical goals and treatment plan quality. We formulated the proton treatment planning problem as a convex optimization problem with a cost function consisting of a dosimetric plan quality term plus a weighted $l_1$ regularization term. We iteratively solved this problem and adaptively updated the regularization weights to promote the sparsity of both the spots and energy layers...

BACKGROUND: The escalation of cancer worldwide is one of the major causes of economy burden and loss of human resources. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be 1,958,310 new cancer cases and 609,820 projected cancer deaths in 2023 in the United States. It is projected that by 2040, the burden of global cancer is expected to rise to 29.5 million per year, causing a death toll of 16.4 million. The hemostasis regulation by cellular protein synthesis and their targeted degradation is required for normal cell growth...

The internal mammary artery perforator (IMAP) flap is an evolution of the deltopectoral flap that is harvested based upon a single perforator from the internal mammary artery. Its favorable characteristics include pliability as a fasciocutaneous flap, ease of harvest, and minimal donor site morbidity. In this paper, we report our harvest technique and the versatility of the IMAP flap for pharyngoesophageal, cervical tracheal, and cutaneous neck defects. We seek to highlight the IMAP as a useful regional reconstructive option in both the primary and salvage reconstructive setting...

BACKGROUND: As per AJCC 8th edition TNM staging system, bone invasion is a poor prognostic marker that upstages oral cavity squamous carcinoma (OSCC) to pT4a. Cortical erosion alone of bone or tooth socket by a gingival primary is not sufficient to upstage a tumour. The differentiation of cortical erosion from invasion through the cortical bone into the medulla is often challenging, limiting accurate staging. This review aims to assess the difficulties in differentiating cortical erosion from medullary invasion and evaluate the prognostic significance of different patterns of bone involvement...

INTRODUCTION: The study evaluates the first-line application of pembrolizumab in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC), head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC), gastric cancer, and renal cell carcinoma. Utilizing the European Society for Medical Oncology Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology Value Framework (ASCO-VF), the analysis incorporates data from pivotal KEYNOTE trials. METHODS: The study systematically assessed the clinical benefit of pembrolizumab in advanced solid malignancies through nine randomized controlled trials, one of which comprised two experimental arms...

BACKGROUND: Speech restoration is important for communication and social activities after pharyngolaryngectomy in head and neck cancer or corrosive injury. Several techniques of voice restoration have been developed to improve life quality. The aim of this paper was to focus on the microsurgical transfer of ileocolon flap and outcome of further voice rehabilitation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 2010 to 2022, 69 patients had ileocolon flap at our hospital with postoperative speech training and regular follow-up for over one year...

RNAs, such as noncoding RNA, microRNA, and recently mRNA, have been recognized as signal transduction molecules. CD271, also known as nerve growth factor receptor, has a critical role in cancer, although the precise mechanism is still unclear. Here, we show that CD271 mRNA, but not CD271 protein, facilitates spheroid cell proliferation. We established CD271-/- cells lacking both mRNA and protein of CD271, as well as CD271 protein knockout cells lacking only CD271 protein, from hypopharyngeal and oral squamous cell carcinoma lines...

Standard lead aprons do not protect the female breast adequately from radiation exposure, which has been associated with breast cancer in healthcare workers. A novel lead shield was designed to reduce radiation to the breast, axilla, and thyroid (BAT). A procedure room was simulated with an anthropomorphic phantom representing the operator. Dosimeters were positioned on the outer quadrant of each breast, the chest, the thyroid, and deep inside of a phantom acrylic female torso with neck and head. Standard lead vest plus a thyroid shield was used as control and compared to standard lead vest plus BAT shield...

BACKGROUND: Head and neck cancer treatment often leads to trismus, a condition characterized by limited mouth opening. Exercise-based therapy is the most common intervention but there are no clear guidelines as to the optimal exercise regimen. Restorabite™ is a portable and force-regulated trismus device designed to enhance exercise adherence. This study explores the adherence to exercises using Restorabite™ in head and neck cancer patients with trismus and identifies facilitators and barriers to exercise therapy...

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-Hnscc) is a true therapeutical challenge in the modern era and the scientific community is trying to face this challenge with new therapeutical strategies, including combinations of monoclonal antibodies and radiation therapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes in LA-Hnscc patients unfit to receive platinum-based chemotherapy, treated with concurrent simultaneous integrated boost-intensity modulated radiotherapy (Sib-Imrt) + cetuximab (Ctx) in daily clinical practice...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the views of health care professionals in a head and neck surgical department toward the implementation of advance care planning prior to surgery for older patients with head and neck cancer. METHOD: Q methodology was used to explore and analyze participants' views by combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Participants were asked to rank 35 Q statements generated via semi-structured interviews and a literature review and to explain the reasons for their ranking in subsequent interviews...

Background Lung metastasis in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients is a critical concern, often indicating an advanced disease stage and a poor prognosis. This study explores the molecular complexities of such metastases, identifying specific genes and pathways that may serve as valuable targets for diagnosis and treatment. The findings underscore the potential for significantly improved patient outcomes through targeted therapeutic strategies. Methodology In this research, we systematically collected raw gene expression data from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC)...