Toiminnallinen tulos mikrokirurgisia kudossiirteitä käyttäen suun ja nielun syövässä

Oral cancer ranks among the 10 most common cancers worldwide. Since it is commonly diagnosed at locally advanced stage, curing the cancer demands extensive tissue resection. The emergent defect is reconstructed generally with a free flap transfer. Repair of the upper aerodigestive track with maintenance of its multiform activities is challenging. The aim of the study was to extract comprehensive treatment outcomes for patients having undergone microvascular free flap transfer because of large oral cavity or pharyngeal cancer. Ninety-four patients were analyzed for postoperative survival and complications. Forty-four patients were followed-up and analyzed for functional outcome, which was determined in terms of quality of life, speech, swallowing, and intraoral sensation. Quality of life was assessed using the University of Washington Head and Neck Questionnaire. Speech was analyzed for aerodynamic parameters and for nasal acoustic energy, as well as perceptually for articulatory proficiency, voice quality, and intelligibility. Videofluorography was performed to determine the swallowing ability. Intraoral sensation was measured by moving 2-point discrimination. The 3-year overall survival was over 40%. The 1-year disease-free survival was 43%. Postoperative complications arose in over half of the patients. Flap success rate was high. Perioperative mortality varied between 2% and 11%. Unemployment and heavy drinking were the strongest predictors of survival. Sociodemographic factors were found to associate with quality of life. The global quality of life score deteriorated and did not return to the preoperative level. Significant reduction was detectable in the domains measuring chewing and speech, and in appearance and shoulder function. The basic elements necessary for normal speech were maintained. Speech intelligibility reduced and was related to the misarticulations of the /r/ and /s/ phonemes. Deviant /r/ and /s/ persisted in most patients. Hoarseness and hypernasality occurred infrequently. One year postoperatively, 98% of the patients had achieved oral nutrition and half of them were on a regular masticated diet. Overt and silent aspiration was encountered throughout the follow-up. At 12-month swallow test, 44% of the patients aspirated, 70% of whom silently. Of these patients, 15% presented with pulmonary changes referring to aspiration. Intraoral sensation weakened but was unrelated to oral functions. The results provide new data for oral reconstructions and highlight the importance of the functional outcome of the treatment for an oral cancer patient. The mouth and the pharynx encompass a unit of utmost functional complexity. Surgery should continue to make progress in this area, and methods that lead to good function should be developed. Operational outcome should always be evaluated in terms of function.Suomessa harvinaisempi, globaalisti 10 yleisimmän syövän joukkoon kuuluva suusyöpä diagnosoidaan usein sen kasvettua paikallisesti laajaksi. Laajassa syöpäleikkauksessa syntyvä kudospuutos korjataan useimmiten vapaalla mikrokirurgisella kudossiirteellä. Siirteitä voidaan irrottaa useasta kohdasta kehoa ja niihin voidaan yhdistää mitä tahansa kudosta ihoa, sidekudos- tai limakalvoa, lihasta, jännettä, luuta ja hermoa. Suun mutkikkaiden toimintojen säilyttäminen ennallaan syöpäleikkauksessa on haasteellista. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin laajan suuontelon ja nielun syövän vuoksi leikatun ja kudossiirteen saaneen potilaan leikkaustulokset toiminnallista tulosta painottaen. Leikkauskomplikaatiot ja elossaolotodennäköisyys analysoitiin 94 potilaalta. 44 potilasta rekrytoitiin vuoden mittaiseen seurantaan. Seurannassa mitattiin elämänlaatua kyselylomakkeen avulla, puheen peruselementtejä tutkittiin tietokoneavusteisesti, artikulaatiota ja äänen laatua arvioi asiantuntijaraati sekä puheensa ymmärrettävyyttä potilas itse. Nieleminen kuvattiin varjoainetta, röntgenläpivalaisua ja videointia käyttäen. Suuontelon tunnon mittauksessa käytettiin 2 pisteen erotuskykyä. Elossaolotodennäköisyys 3 vuoden kuluttua leikkauksesta oli yli 40%. Seurannan potilailla oli 43%:n todennäköisyys selvitä leikkauksen jälkeinen vuosi syövän uusiutumatta. Leikkauskomplikaatioita ilmaantui 60%:lle potilaista. Leikkauskuolleisuus oli 2% ja 11%. Kudossiirto onnistui muutamaa lukuunottamatta. Työttömyys ja runsas alkoholin kulutus vaikuttivat voimakkaimmin kuolemanriskiin. Elämänlaatu heikkeni leikkauksen jälkeen eikä palannut seurannassa leikkausta edeltäneelle tasolle. Merkittävimmän huonontumisen potilaat kokivat tapahtuneen pureskelussaan ja puheessaan, ulkonäössään sekä olkapäänsä toiminnassa. Normaalin puheen perusedellytykset säilyivät leikkauksessa. Vuoden kuluttua leikkauksesta esiintyi yli 60%:n potilaan puheessa sekä virheellinen /r/- että /s/-konsonantti, mikä heikensi puheen ymmärrettävyyttä. Seurannan lopussa sai ravitsemuksensa suun kautta 98% potilaista, joista puolet söi tavallista pureskeltavaa ruokaa. Havaittavaa ja hiljaista aspiraatiota eli nieltävän aineen kulkeutumista hengitysteihin ilmeni koko seurannan ajan. Vuoden kuluttua 44% potilaista aspiroi, joista 70%:lla esiintyi tätä hiljaista muotoa. Aspiraatioon viittaavia keuhkomuutoksia esiintyi 15%:lla potilaista. Suuontelon tunto heikkeni, muttei ollut yhteydessä mitattuihin suun toimintoihin. Tutkimus antaa uutta tietoa suun rekonstruktioista. Tutkimuksessa korostuu hoidon toiminnallisen tuloksen tärkeys suusyöpää sairastavalle potilaalle. Suu ja nielu toimivat erittäin monimuotoisesti. Tämän alueen kirurgiassa tulee kehittää menetelmiä, joilla saavutetaan hyvä toiminnallinen tulos

Fibre-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing as a second-stage diagnostic tool in 117 patients with dysphagia

Peer reviewe

Bilateral Basal Cell Adenocarcinoma of the Parotid Gland: In a Recipient of Kidney Transplant

We report a rare case of bilateral basal cell adenocarcinoma (BcAC) of the parotid gland in a male patient 30 years after kidney transplantation and continuous administration of immunosuppressive therapy. BcAC is a salivary gland malignancy first recognized as a distinct neoplastic entity in WHO classification of salivary gland tumours in 1991. Over 90% of BcACs are detected in the parotid gland. The most important differential diagnosis is basal cell adenoma. Infiltrative growth is the distinguishing feature of BcAC. Administration of immunosuppressive medication to this patient for three decades may have contributed to development of this rare neoplasia. To our knowledge, similar cases of BcAC have not been reported previously

Reply to "Do not de-escalate oncology care in oropharyngeal cancer routinely"

Non peer reviewe

Robottiavusteinen kirurgia nielusyövän hoidossa

HALO-katsaus•Ha­vain­noivien vertai­lu­tut­ki­musten ja klii­nisen koke­muksen perus­teella tran­so­raa­linen robot­ti­ki­rurgia vai­kuttaa lupaa­valta mene­tel­mältä vali­koi­duissa poti­las­ryh­missä, mut­ta tutki­mus­näyttö vaikut­ta­vuu­desta ja turval­li­suu­desta on toistai­seksi puutteel­lista ja heikko­laa­tuista

Work-up of globus : assessing the benefits of neck ultrasound and videofluorography

Globus patients with normal ear, nose, and throat ( ENT) status are a diagnostic challenge. The symptom may be long lasting and cause concern about malignancy, leading to possibly unnecessary further investigation. The aim of the study was to assess whether radiological examinations are useful in globus diagnostics, how often patients suffer from persistent globus, and whether globus patients with normal ENT status develop a malignancy during a follow-up. We reviewed medical records of all 76 globus patients referred to Helsinki University Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in 2009. Patient history and findings in physical and radiological examinations were registered. A questionnaire concerning patients' present pharyngeal symptoms was sent 3 and 6 years after their initial visit. Data from the Finnish Cancer Registry revealed whether patients developed malignancies within a 3-year follow-up. Based on medical records, neck ultrasound was performed for 37 (49 %) and videofluorography for 22 patients (29 %), with nonsignificant findings. After a 3- and 6-year follow-up, half patients indicated that they were asymptomatic or had fewer symptoms, whereas the rest had persistent symptoms. The Finnish Cancer Registry data confirmed that globus patients developed no head and neck malignancies during a 3-year follow-up. In the present study, neck ultrasound and videofluorography showed no additional benefit to evaluate the globus etiology in patients whose ENT status was normal. Half the globus patients suffered from persistent symptoms after a 3- and 6-year follow-up, indicating that globus may cause discomfort chronically. However, no patients developed malignancies during a 3-year follow-up.Peer reviewe

Finnish Version of the Eating Assessment Tool (F-EAT-10) : A Valid and Reliable Patient-reported Outcome Measure for Dysphagia Evaluation

Our aim was to validate a Finnish version of the Eating Assessment Tool (F-EAT-10) for clinical use and to test its reliability and validity in a multicenter nationwide study. Normative data were acquired from 180 non-dysphagic participants (median age 57.0 years, 62.2% female). Dysphagia patients (n = 117, median age 69.7 years, 53.0% female) referred to fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) completed F-EAT-10 before the examination and after 2 weeks. Patients underwent the 100-ml water swallow test (WST) and FEES was evaluated using the following three scales: the Yale Pharyngeal Residue Severity Rating Scale, Penetration-Aspiration Scale, and the Dysphagia Outcome Severity Scale. An operative cohort of 19 patients (median age 75.8 years, 57.9% female) underwent an endoscopic operation on Zenker's diverticulum, tight cricopharyngeal muscle diagnosed in videofluorography, or both. Patients completed the F-EAT-10 preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. The cut-off score for controls was = 3 is abnormal. Re-questionnaires for test-retest reliability analysis were available from 92 FEES patients and 123 controls. The intraclass correlation coefficient was excellent for the total F-EAT-10 score (0.93, 95% confidence interval 0.91-0.95). Pearson correlation coefficients were strong (p < 0.001) for each of the questions and the total score. Internal consistency as assessed by Cronbach's alpha was excellent (0.95). Some correlations between findings in FEES and 100-ml WST with F-EAT-10 were observed. The change in subjective symptoms of operative patients paralleled the change in F-EAT-10. F-EAT-10 is a reliable, valid, and symptom-specific patient-reported outcome measure for assessing dysphagia among Finnish speakers.Peer reviewe

Transoral Robotic Surgery in the Nordic Countries : Current Status and Perspectives

Background: The five Nordic countries with a population of 27 M people form a rather homogenous region in terms of health care. The management of head and neck cancer is centralized to the 21 university hospitals in these countries. Our aim was to gain an overview of the volume and role of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and to evaluate the need to centralize it in this area as the field is rapidly developing. Materials and Methods: A structured questionnaire was sent to all 10 Departments of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in the Nordic countries having an active programme for TORS in December 2017. Results: The total cumulative number of performed robotic surgeries at these 10 Nordic centers was 528 and varied between 5 and 240 per center. The median annual number of robotic surgeries was 38 (range, 5-60). The observed number of annually operated cases remained fairly low ( Conclusions: The present results showing a limited volume of performed surgeries call for considerations to further centralize TORS in the Nordic countries.Peer reviewe

Finnish Version of the Eating Assessment Tool (F-EAT-10): A Valid and Reliable Patient-reported Outcome Measure for Dysphagia Evaluation

Our aim was to validate a Finnish version of the Eating Assessment Tool (F-EAT-10) for clinical use and to test its reliability and validity in a multicenter nationwide study. Normative data were acquired from 180 non-dysphagic participants (median age 57.0 years, 62.2% female). Dysphagia patients (n = 117, median age 69.7 years, 53.0% female) referred to fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) completed F-EAT-10 before the examination and after 2 weeks. Patients underwent the 100-ml water swallow test (WST) and FEES was evaluated using the following three scales: the Yale Pharyngeal Residue Severity Rating Scale, Penetration-Aspiration Scale, and the Dysphagia Outcome Severity Scale. An operative cohort of 19 patients (median age 75.8 years, 57.9% female) underwent an endoscopic operation on Zenker's diverticulum, tight cricopharyngeal muscle diagnosed in videofluorography, or both. Patients completed the F-EAT-10 preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. The cut-off score for controls was = 3 is abnormal. Re-questionnaires for test-retest reliability analysis were available from 92 FEES patients and 123 controls. The intraclass correlation coefficient was excellent for the total F-EAT-10 score (0.93, 95% confidence interval 0.91-0.95). Pearson correlation coefficients were strong (p < 0.001) for each of the questions and the total score. Internal consistency as assessed by Cronbach's alpha was excellent (0.95). Some correlations between findings in FEES and 100-ml WST with F-EAT-10 were observed. The change in subjective symptoms of operative patients paralleled the change in F-EAT-10. F-EAT-10 is a reliable, valid, and symptom-specific patient-reported outcome measure for assessing dysphagia among Finnish speakers

FEES as a second-stage tool in patients with dysphagia

Background: Fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is an established non-invasive and radiation-safe evaluation method of the pharyngeal swallowing function. The focus is in the diagnosis of dysphagia, consideration of its treatment and in finding compensation techniques for impaired swallowing. We aimed at investigating the feasibility and outcome of FEES at our institution. Patients and Methods: The study group comprised all the 117 patients who had a FEES performed during the years 2011 and 2012 at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. Results: Patients who were considered otherwise healthy prior to FEES presented significantly more often with globus symptoms compared with patients with a neurological disorder (p=0.009) or those diagnosed with a head and neck (HN) malignancy (p=0.011). Patients with a neurological disorder had significantly more aspiration (p=0.014), suffered more from swallowing initiation difficulties (p=0.031) and more often had a pneumonia (p<0.005) compared to the patients who had been considered healthy. Aspiration and pneumonia correlated with the underlying disease (r=0.382 p<0.005), as well as with the degree of dysphagia. Conclusions: FEES served well as a second-stage diagnostic tool for dysphagia in a multidisciplinary environment. Patients with no obvious underlying cause for dysphagia presented more often with globus, compared to patients with a diagnosed malignant tumour in the head and neck region, or with a neurological diagnosis. Aspiration, pneumonia and the degree of dysphagia correlated with the underlying cause of dysphagia