Tumori maligni delle ghiandole salivari della laringe: un'unica review istituzionale

I tumori a istotipo salivare della laringe sono molto rari, con pochi report in letteratura in merito al loro andamento clinico. Nel presente manoscritto discutiamo un'esperienza di 10 anni presso una singola struttura. Abbiamo condotto una review retrospettiva della casistica di un centro di oncologia della testa e del collo di terzo livello. I pazienti sono stati individuati mediante analisi di un database e sono stati revisionati da un Anatomo Patologo testa collo. I dati inerenti la clinica, le modalità di trattamento e gli esiti sono stati prelevati da archivi elettronici. Sono stati inclusi sei pazienti nello studio, con un range di età dai 44 ai 69 anni. Tutti e sei erano affetti da neoplasie maligne a istotipo salivare della laringe. Gli istotipi includevano: tre carcinomi adenoido-cistici (2 sopraglottico, 1 sottoglottico), un carcinoma mucoepidermoidale (sopraglottico), un carcinoma epiteliale-mioepiteliale (sopraglottico), e un adenocarcinoma (transglottico). Tutti sono stati sottoposti a trattamento chirurgico (2 chirurgie laser, 4 open) e 5 dei 6 pazienti sono stati successivamente sottoposti a terapia adjuvante (4 a radioterapia, 1 a radio-chemioterapia concomitante). Un paziente era fumatore; nessun paziente aveva storia di abuso di alcolici. A un follow-up con mediana di 4,5 anni nessuno dei pazienti ha presentato recidiva o metastasi locali o a distanza. I tumori a istotipo salivare della laringe si presentano solitamente in pazienti della seconda/terza età, e possono essere trattati con successo mediante approcci multimodali, con un ottimo controllo locoregionale di malattia

Effect of Chorda Tympani Nerve Transection on Salt Taste Perception in Mice

Effects of gustatory nerve transection on salt taste have been studied extensively in rats and hamsters but have not been well explored in the mouse. We examined the effects of chorda tympani (CT) nerve transection on NaCl taste preferences and thresholds in outbred CD-1 mice using a high-throughput phenotyping method developed in our laboratory. To measure taste thresholds, mice were conditioned by oral self-administration of LiCl or NaCl and then presented with NaCl concentration series in 2-bottle preference tests. LiCl-conditioned and control NaCl-exposed mice were given bilateral transections of the CT nerve (LiCl-CTX, NaCl-CTX) or were left intact as controls (LiCl-CNT, NaCl-CNT). After recovery from surgery, mice received a concentration series of NaCl (0–300 mM) in 48-h 2-bottle tests. CT transection increased NaCl taste thresholds in LiCl-conditioned mice and eliminated avoidance of concentrated NaCl in control NaCl-exposed mice. This demonstrates that in mice, the CT nerve is important for detection and recognition of NaCl taste and is necessary for the normal avoidance of high concentrations of NaCl. The results of this experiment also show that the method of high-throughput phenotyping of salt taste thresholds is suitable for detecting changes in the taste periphery in mouse genetic studies

Life-Threatening Respiratory Distress in a Total Laryngectomy Patient: Aspirated Voice Prosthesis or Lung Tumor?

Laryngectomy patients usually have poor pulmonary functions due to long-term smoking. Their lungs can easily be decompensated. Hence, meticulous evaluation and timely management of severe respiratory distress in laryngectomy patients can be life savers. Here we present an interesting case of a laryngectomy patient with two different clinical presentations of life-threatening respiratory distress at the same time (aspiration of voice prosthesis and a second primary lung cancer). Marked or persistent respiratory distress in a laryngectomy patient deserves thorough clinical evaluation and may require urgent intervention. We consider that the presentation and course of respiratory distress in our laryngectomy patient will provide an additional aspect for emergency room doctors and airway specialists dealing with such a patient

A Rare Case: Cartilaginous Choristoma of the Soft Palate

Cartilaginous choristomas occur in abnormal sites that usually do not contain chondrocytes. These lesions are very rarely seen in the soft palate. We present a 38 year-old patient with cartilaginous choristoma located in nasopharyngeal surface of soft palate. Histopathological examination demonstrated a well demarcated mature hyaline cartilage tissue which was surrounded with seromucous salivary glands under a benign respiratory epithelium