HEAD AND NECK

Objectives: Induction chemotherapy (IC) is occasionally used in head and neck cancer, leading to less extensive surgery and reduced need for irradiation. Factors predicting the response to IC have not been determined. In this study, we investigated the clinical and histopathologic factors that predict the response to IC. Methods: Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas from 81 patients were analyzed; clinical factors, histologic parameters, and expression of p16 and p53 were correlated with response to chemotherapy and prognosis...

BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx (OP-SCC) are related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and p16 overexpression. This subgroup proves better prognosis and survival but no evidence exists on the correlation between HPV and p16 overexpression based on diagnostic measures and definition of p16 overexpression. We evaluated means of p16 and HPV diagnostics, and quantified overexpression of p16 in HPV-positive and -negative OP-SCCs by mode of immunohistochemical staining of carcinoma cells...

Head and neck cancers (HNCs) are a highly heterogeneous group of tumours that are associated with diverse clinical outcomes. Recent evidence has demonstrated that human papillomavirus (HPV) is involved in up to 25% of HNCs; particularly in the oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) subtype where it can account for up to 60% of such cases. HPVs are double-stranded DNA viruses that infect epithelial cells; numerous HPV subtypes, including 16, 18, 31, 33, and 35, drive epithelial cell transformation and tumourigenesis...

Low-grade cribriform cystadenocarcinoma (LGCCC) of the salivary gland is a rare tumor. We report the cytologic features and histologic correlation of a patient with LGCCC. A 57-year-old man had a hardly palpable, nontender mass in the right cheek area followed over nine months. Radiologic analysis revealed a 1.2 cm multiseptated, cystic, solid nodule in an anterior superficial lobe of the right parotid gland. Fine-needle aspiration cytology revealed many irregular overlapping sheets or clusters of ductal epithelial cells forming solid, pseudopapillary, and cribriform architectures...

BACKGROUND: Mutations of the proto-oncogene BRAF have been described in many cancers. Mutated BRAF causes overactive downstream signaling via MEK and ERK leading to excessive cell proliferation and survival. Their identification is of real interest because specific inhibitors have been developed. METHODS AND RESULTS: We report the case of a patient with an aggressive cystadenocarcinoma of the parotid with synchronous metastases. Cisplatine/5FU chemotherapy associated with palliative radiation therapy was used first without any efficency nor clinical improvement...

Low-grade cribriform cystadenocarcinoma of salivary glands is a recently described rare tumor with favorable prognosis. This study reports the case of 50-year-old woman with swelling lasting for 9 months in the right parotideomasseteric area. Grossly, the tumor was well circumscribed and dominated by cystic space. Microscopically, the neoplasm consisted of well-demarcated islets, some of them cystically dilated. The architecture of islets varied from solid to cribriform and micropapillary without comedo-type necroses...

Cystadenocarcinoma is a rare malignant tumor, with an estimated incidence of 2% of malignant salivary gland tumors. Cytological diagnosis of cystadenocarcinoma is important for differential diagnosis between benign lesions and malignant tumors with cystic growth. We report a case of cystadenocarcinoma causing difficulty in cytological diagnosis. A 23-year-old man presented with an asymptomatic mass in the left parotid gland that had been present for 2 years. The mass was elastic hard, measuring 30 x 35 mm in diameter...

Papillary cystadenocarcinoma is a rare malignant neoplasm of the salivary gland, characterized by noticeable cystic and solid areas with papillary endophytic projections. These tumours lack features that characterize cystic variants of several more common salivary gland carcinomas. It was first described in 1991 by World Health Organization as a separate entity and cystadenocarcinoma with or without papillary component in the AFIP classification. Most of these tumours occurred in the major salivary glands followed by minor salivary glands...

Low-grade cribriform cystadenocarcinoma (LGCCC) is a recently described rare tumor of the salivary gland; this tumor most frequently arises from the parotid gland. Here, we describe a case of LGCCC arising from a minor salivary gland in the buccal mucosa. A 72-year-old man had a small mass on the left buccal mucosa. The mass was completely resected, and the postoperative course was uneventful. Histopathologically, the tumor comprised a single cyst with intraductal proliferation. Based on these histopathological findings along with immunohistochemistry a diagnosis of LGCCC arising from a minor salivary gland was made...

Low-grade cribriform cystadenocarcinoma of the parotid gland is rare malignancy that is classified as a variant of cystadenocarcinoma. In routine cytologic slides from fine-needle aspiration of a parotid gland, we found several pseudopapillary clusters comprising mucus-producing cells. They included a few tumor cells having three-dimensional nuclear atypia and slight hyperchromatism, although most of the tumor cells showed bland nuclei. Our initial cytological diagnosis was: "Indeterminate. Uncertain whether cystadenocarcinoma or cystadenoma...

The clinical and pathologic characteristics of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related premalignant lesions in the upper aerodigestive tract have not been adequately studied. There are a few reports of oral cavity HPV-related severe dysplasia with unique morphology (prominent apoptosis/karyorrhexis imparting a 'bowenoid' appearance) and a single case report of HPV-related squamous cell carcinoma in situ with nonkeratinizing histology distinct from the 'bowenoid' pattern that extensively involved the upper aerodigestive tract...

BACKGROUND: Oral metastatic tumor from a rectal adenocarcinoma is very uncommon. The primary site is usually assumed based on the past clinical history. In the case of oral metastatic tumors, they commonly have a poor prognosis because often they have already spread to other sites. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 64-year-old male patient with secondary metastasis to the mandibular gingiva via lung metastasis after the surgical resection of a primary rectal adenocarcinoma...

Squamous cell cancers of the head and neck (HNSCC) comprise a diverse group of malignancies that includes tobacco-related tumors in addition to an increasing number of human papillomavirus-associated cancers. Independently of cause, there is a growing body of evidence supporting that the immune system plays a pivotal role in HNSCC development, as tumor cells evade immunosurveillance by exploiting inhibitory checkpoint pathways that suppress anti-tumor T-cell responses. HNSCC cells have the ability to manipulate the immune system through a variety of different mechanisms, forcing it to promote tumor growth and spread...

Squamous cell carcinoma arises from multiple anatomic subsites in the head and neck region. The risk factors for development of cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx include tobacco exposure and alcohol dependence, and infection with oncogenic viruses is associated with cancers developing in the nasopharynx, palatine, and lingual tonsils of the oropharynx. The incidence of human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer is increasing in developed countries, and by 2020, the annual incidence could surpass that of cervical cancer...

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is known to be associated with several types of human cancer, including cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal, and head-and-neck cancers. Among these cancers, HPV-associated head-and-neck cancers, inclusive of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas (OCSCC), have recently risen dramatically in men under 50 years old. Within 20 years, the percentage of HPV-positive OSCC in total OSCC went from less than 20% to more than 70% in the United States and some European countries...

The prototypic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) arises from the mucosal lining of the upper aerodigestive tract, demonstrates squamous differentiation microscopically, involves older men with a long history of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption, and is treated by multimodality therapy. HNSCC has long been regarded as a uniform disease process requiring a methodical and unwavering therapeutic approach. Divergence in epidemiologic trends among HNSCCs arising from different anatomic sites has introduced a view that, morphologic repetition aside, head and neck cancers form a heterogeneous group...

This review covers the histopathology and pathogenesis of non-infectious inflammatory diseases of the sinonasal tract, in particular, sarcoidosis, granulomatous vasculitides Wegener, Churg-Strauss), relapsing polychondritis, eosinophilic angiocentric fibrosis, chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal perforations. Molecular associations and mechanisms are emphasised to assist pathologists to put their observations into the context of clinical, genetic and environmental influences on patients' diseases.

Adenocarcinomas of the sinonasal tract may originate from respiratory surface epithelium or the underlying seromucinous glands. These malignancies are divided into salivary-type adenocarcinomas and non-salivary-type adenocarcinomas. The latter are further divided into intestinal-type and nonintestinal-type adenocarcinomas. This review provides an update on tumor classification, differential diagnostic considerations and molecular features, as well as new adenocarcinoma entities in the sinonasal area.

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is a high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasm first described in the lung and subsequently well documented in many other anatomic sites. It has only recently been recognized that LCNEC can also occasionally arise in the head and neck. The role of human papillomavirus (HPV), which is associated with some small cell carcinomas of the head and neck, has not been investigated for LCNEC. We sought to further characterize the histologic, immunophenotypic, and clinical features of LCNEC and also investigate the role of HPV in this newly described group of tumors...

Metastatic dissemination to the oral cavity is rare and is usually the evidence of a wide spread disease with an average survival rate of 7 months. In almost a quarter of the cases, oral metastasis was found to be the first indication of an occult malignancy at a distant site. Metastatic lesions can be found anywhere in the oral cavity, however, the jaw bones with the molar area is the most frequently involved site. In the oral soft tissues, the gingiva is the most common site, suggesting the possible role of inflammation in the attraction of metastatic deposits...