Papillary adenocarcinoma in submandibular region

Lateral ectopic thyroid is a rare event and even more uncommon is a primary malignancy in lateral ectopic thyroid. We present a case of papillary adenocarcinoma in lateral ectopic thyroid in submandibular space in a 55-year old male. To our knowledge this is the third case documented in the world and the first one in Europe. Lateral ectopic thyroid in this region is easily masqueraded as a submandibular gland swelling and so was our patients' tumor preliminarily diagnosed as a submandibular gland tumor. Furthermore, in the preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan the tissue was misinterpreted being adjacent to the submandibular gland. The diagnosis was revealed during the surgery and confirmed by the histology. This report demonstrates the difficulty in the differential diagnosis of neck masses. Although rare, ectopic tissue should be remembered as a possible diagnosis of all neck masses and the relevant preoperative examination should be performed by skilled professionals.Peer reviewe

Characterization of Vascular Adhesion Molecules that may Facilitate Progenitor Homing in the Post-natal Mouse Thymus

T cell progenitors derive from the bone marrow but must migrate via bloodstream to the thymus in order to differentiate. The mechanism by which the thymus recruits progenitors from the blood is unknown. It is known, however, that there are receptive and refractory periods for progenitor recruitment and that when cells are imported, they enter the thymus through post-capillary venules. Therefore, recruitment is an active process temporally and spatially regulated. In order to characterize the mechanism of recruitment, we evaluated vascular signals known to regulate leukocyte extravasation, with respect to their intrathymic location and temporal fluctuations. We find that CD34, MECA79, VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and VAP-1 are all expressed in thymic blood vessels. MECA79 and VAP-1 appear to be specific for post-capillary venules, while ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 are also found on intrathymic stromal cells. MAdCAM is also expressed in the thymus, but is not associated with vascular tissues. Only MECA79 is upregulated during recruitment peaks, suggesting a role for this molecule in the periodicity of recruitment. Together, these studies reveal potential roles for l-selectin ligands, VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and VAP-1 in progenitor recruitment to the thymus, and implicate the presence of other periodic signals, such as chemokines and cytokines, that cooperate to execute this essential function

Epstein-Barr virus and human papillomaviruses as favorable prognostic factors in nasopharyngeal carcinoma : A nationwide study in Finland

Background Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is related to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in endemic areas; however, the role of viruses in nonendemic countries is unclear. Our nationwide study investigated the prevalence and prognostic significance of EBV and human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in Finnish NPC tumors. Methods We analyzed samples from 150 patients diagnosed between 1990 and 2009. Viral status was determined using EBV and HPV RNA in situ hybridizations, and p16 immunohistochemistry. Patient and treatment characteristics were obtained from patient records. Results In our white patient cohort, 93 of 150 (62%) patients were EBV-positive and 21/150 (14%) patients were HPV-positive with no coinfections. Thirty-six (24%) tumors were negative for both viruses. The 5-year disease-specific survival for patients with EBV-positive, HPV-positive, and EBV/HPV-negative tumors was 69%, 63%, and 39%, respectively. In multivariable-adjusted analysis, overall survival was better among patients with EBV-positive (P = .005) and HPV-positive (P = .03) tumors compared to patients with EBV/HPV-negative tumors. Conclusions In our low-incidence population, EBV and HPV are important prognostic factors for NPC.Peer reviewe

Effect of coronavirus disease 2019 on recurrences and follow up of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Objective. This prospective study aimed to evaluate possible diagnostic delays in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma recurrences due to the changed follow-up protocol during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods. The follow-up appointments of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients treated more than one year prior to the pandemic were changed to telephone appointments in order to reduce physical visits to the hospital. All contacts, reasons for contact and recurrent cancers were recorded. Results. There were 17 recurrences during a seven-month study period among 178 patients treated in the previous year (10 per cent); 14 of these recurrences occurred in patients whose treatment had ended less than one year previously and 3 occurred more than one year after treatment had ended. There was no delay in diagnoses of recurrent tumours or treatment despite reduced visits because of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Conclusion. According to our analyses, no delay was caused in the diagnoses of recurrent diseases. Follow up by telephone or telemedicine can be considered as part of the follow-up protocol one year after the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma when necessary.</p

Employment status of young otorhinolaryngologists in Finland during a 10-year period

We determined the employment status of recently graduated otorhinolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons (ENT doctors) in Finland during the past 10 years. We also investigated the job vacancy rate of the Departments of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (Department of ORL-HNS). An electronic questionnaire was sent to all ENT doctors who had graduated during 2007-2017 and to chief physicians of all Departments of ORL-HNS. Chi-square and Fisher's test were used in the analyses. Altogether 129 ENT doctors had graduated and 125 (96.9%) responded. Thirty (24%) physicians had been employed in a position that did not correspond to their ENT doctor training. All 30 chief physicians responded and a total of 306 physicians were working at their departments (215 ENT doctors, 91 residents). However, there were only 241 available positions (197 for ENT doctors, 44 for residents). It was estimated that 65 ENT doctors would retire within 10 years. At the moment there does not seem to be a significant shortage of ENT doctors in Finland. The current national volume of resident intake in the ENT training programme is twofold in comparison with the estimated retirement rate in the public sector.Peer reviewe

Recurrence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in relation to high-risk treatment volume

Background: Locoregional recurrence remains a major cause of failure in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated HNSCCs generally have a good prognosis but may recur even after standard photon radiotherapy (RT). Another incentive in observing patterns of recurrence is increased use of highly conformal techniques such as proton therapy. We therefore studied geographic distribution of recurrent tumors in relation to the high-risk treatment volume in a cohort of patients with HNSCC receiving combined modality therapy.Methods: Medical records of 508 patients diagnosed with HNSCC in 2010-2015 were reviewed. We identified a subgroup that had local and/or regional recurrence at hybrid positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We adapted p16 as a surrogate marker for HPV-positivity and only patients with known p16 status were eligible for a detailed analysis where recurrent tumor was copied on the planning CT and the dose received by the recurrent tumor volume was determined using dose-volume histograms.Results: Twenty-five patients who had received either cisplatin (n = 23) or cetuximab-enhanced (n = 2) RT were identified. 31 locoregional recurrent tumors were detected among 18 p16 negative and 7 p16 positive patients. Of recurrent tumors 14 (45%) were classified as in-field, 5 (16%) as marginal miss, and 12 (39%) as true miss. p16 positive patients had 4 in-field, 2 marginal, and 1 true miss. By contrast, p16 negative patients had 10 in-field, 3 marginal, and 11 true miss recurrences.Conclusions: Both p16 positive and negative HNSCC recur in high-risk treatment volume despite the common view of high radiosensitivity of the former. Biomarkers predicting radioresistance should be characterized in p16 positive tumors before widely embarking on de-escalated CRT protocols. Another concern is how to decrease the number of true or marginal misses in p16 negative cases despite multimodality imaging-based target delineation.</p

Satisfaction of young ENT surgeons with their work. A Finnish national study

The objective was to investigate work satisfaction among recently graduated otorhinolaryngologist - head and neck surgeons - (ENT surgeons). An electronic questionnaire was sent to all ENT surgeons graduated in Finland during a ten-year period. Answers about work satisfaction were analyzed in detail with regards to age, gender, university of specialist training, experience, place of work and further education.Altogether 125/129 (96.9%) responded. The majority (87.8%) of the respondents enjoyed their current main occupation. The older age group (>= 40 vsPeer reviewe

Characterization of Vascular Adhesion Molecules that may Facilitate Progenitor Homing in the Post-natal Mouse Thymus

T cell progenitors derive from the bone marrow but must migrate via bloodstream to the thymus in order to differentiate. The mechanism by which the thymus recruits progenitors from the blood is unknown. It is known, however, that there are receptive and refractory periods for progenitor recruitment and that when cells are imported, they enter the thymus through post-capillary venules. Therefore, recruitment is an active process temporally and spatially regulated. In order to characterize the mechanism of recruitment, we evaluated vascular signals known to regulate leukocyte extravasation, with respect to their intrathymic location and temporal fluctuations. We find that CD34, MECA79, VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and VAP-1 are all expressed in thymic blood vessels. MECA79 and VAP-1 appear to be specific for post-capillary venules, while ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 are also found on intrathymic stromal cells. MAdCAM is also expressed in the thymus, but is not associated with vascular tissues. Only MECA79 is upregulated during recruitment peaks, suggesting a role for this molecule in the periodicity of recruitment. Together, these studies reveal potential roles for L-selectin ligands, VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and VAP-1 in progenitor recruitment to the thymus, and implicate the presence of other periodic signals, such as chemokines and cytokines, that cooperate to execute this essential function

Deep neck space infections: an upward trend and changing characteristics

Purpose This study reviews our experience with deep neck space infections (DNIs) requiring surgical intervention, includingcervical necrotizing fasciitis. The aim of the study was to identify predisposing and aggravating factors of the disease andrecognize the possible factors that can lead to life-threatening complications and slow down the healing process.Methods We compare the results to previous data from 1985 to 2005 to fnd possible alterations and changing trends. Thecharacteristics of four lethal cases are described. This retrospective analysis includes patient data from 2004 to 2015 intertiary referral hospital and in total, 277 patients were found.Results Surgical drainage through a neck opening±intraoral incision was made in 215 (77.6%) patients, an intraoral incision was only made in 62 patients (22.4%). ICU care was needed in 66 (23.8%) cases. Odontogenic etiology (44.8%) wasthe most common origin. The most common comorbidity was a psychiatric disorder and/or dementia and occurred in 55(19.9%) patients. Patients with underlying illnesses were more likely to be admitted to the ICU (p=0.020), required a longerICU stay (p=0.004) and repeated surgery (p=0.009). Gas formation seemed to be predictive of a more severe course ofinfection. Early extraction of the odontogenic foci was related to a lower length of stay (LOS) (p=0.039).Conclusion The annual numbers have risen from 14 to 24 cases per year when compared to previous data. DNIs remain cause of lethal complications; the mortality was 1.4% and overall complications occurred in 61 (22.0%) patients.</p