Topical application of Mitomycin C in the treatment of granulation tissue after Canal Wall Down mastoidectomy

Introduction: Otorrhea and granulation tissue in Canal Wall Down mastoidectomy (CWD) is the common problem in cholesteatoma removal and leads to many discomfort for both the patient and the physician. The main objective in CWD is creating the dry cavity, so the topical antibiotic and acetic acid in variable saturations are used for this purpose. In this study we evaluate the effectiveness of topical MMC and chemical cautery by acetic acid.   Materials and Methods: Study population consists of 50 patients with cholesteatoma whom underwent CWD. All patient allocated randomly in two study groups, MMC and acetic acid. After 3 weeks, the first visit is planned, extension of granulation tissue and dryness of cavity are evaluated and topical drugs are used in blind fashion. MMC in 4% and acetic acid in 12.5% saturation are applied. Other visits are completed at next month and 3 months later.   Results: Both methods are effective in treatment of granulation tissue. In each group both treatment were effective too but MMC was more effective than acid acetic in the treatment of granulation tissue after 4 weeks.   Conclusion: Based on our findings, it is clear that topical MMC is very effective in the treatment of granulation tissue and in CWD. It results in dry cavity much better than acetic acid without any complication.

Poorly differentiated laryngeal neuroendocrine neoplasm with high serum calcitonin level, a case report, with literature review

Abstract Neuroendocrine neoplasm (NEN) of the larynx consists of 0.6% of laryngeal cancer and is the second most common type after squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Laryngeal NEN rarely secret calcitonin and should be differentiated from medullary thyroid carcinoma. It makes a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We describe a case of a laryngeal NEN with calcitonin hypersecretion. A 59‐year‐old man presented to our clinic with recurrent cough, dysphonia, hoarseness, cervical mass, and significant weight loss. Diagnostic workup showed a supraglottic mass. Biopsy of the lesion revealed large‐cell neuroendocrine neoplasm. Further diagnostic workup showed elevated serum calcitonin level. The patient underwent total laryngectomy, thyroidectomy, and modified radical neck dissection. During his follow‐up, new subcutaneous nodules appeared that were biopsy‐proven metastases. Then adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was performed. Laryngeal NEN with hypersecretion of calcitonin is a rare entity. In patients with elevated serum calcitonin levels and head and neck tumors, it should be considered a differential diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma. As the management and prognosis of these two neoplasms are entirely different

Rate of Occult Cervical Lymph Node Involvement in Supraglottic Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Introduction: To assess the rate of cervical lymph node involvement in patients with supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with no lymph node in clinical assessments and radiological studies. Materials and Methods: Fifty-six patients who underwent elective dissection of the cervical lymph node of the second through fourth level were enrolled, and pathologic evaluation of the dissected lymph nodes was performed. Lymph node involvement and association between tumor grade, smoking and gender with lymph node involvement were assessed. Results: The rate of the occult neck metastasis in this series was 37.5%. There was no statistically significant association between lymph node involvement and tumor grade, smoking, or gender. Conclusion: Based on the results of our study, we recommend elective bilateral neck dissection in all stages of N0 supraglottic SCC patients

The Effect of N-Acetyl Cysteine on Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is a variant of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in which the stomach contents go up into the pharynx and then down into the larynx. LPR causes a wide spectrum of manifestations mainly related to the upper and the lower respiratory system such as laryngitis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cough, hoarseness, postnasal drip disease, sinusitis, otitis media, recurrent pneumonia, laryngeal cancer and etc. The object of this study was to examine the effect of N-acetyl Cysteine (NAC) with and without Omeprazole on laryngitis and LPR. Ninety patients with laryngitis or its symptoms were referred and randomly assigned into three groups. The first group was treated by Omeprazole and NAC. The second group was treated by Omeprazole and placebo and the last group was treated by NAC and placebo. Duration of treatment was 3 months and all patients were evaluated at the beginning of study, one month and three month after treatment of sign and symptoms, based on reflux symptom index (RSI) and reflex finding score (RFS). Based on the results of this study, despite therapeutic efficacy of all treatment protocols, the RSI before and after 3 months treatment had significant difference in (NAS+ Omeprazole) and (Omeprazole+ placebo) group (P<0.001 in the first group, P<0.001 in the second group and P=0.35 in the third group). Whereas RFS before and after 3 month treatment had significant difference in all groups. (P<0.001 in each group in comparison with itself) but this results had not significant difference after 1 month treatment. Our results showed that the combination therapy with Omeprazole and NAC treatment had the most effect on both subjective and objective questionnaire at least after 3 months treatment. Based on the results of the present study, it seems that the use objective tools are more accurate than subjective tools in evaluation of therapeutic effects in patients with GERD-related laryngitis

Common mutations assay of KRAS and BRAF genes in patients affected with Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC)

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the malignancy of squamous cells (the epidermal layer of skin) in cavities in head and neck includes: larynx, pharynx, paranasal sinuses and oral cavity. The main goal of this research was to understand the effect of mutations in two important genes (KRAS and BRAF) in RAS/MAP kinase (EGFR) signaling pathway in tumor cells with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in Iran. Methods: The present cross-sectional study performed from October 2015 to September 2016 on 40 patients suffering from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, all confirmed by pathology department of Imam Khomeini hospital. Tumor samples were achieved from the surgical cancer department of Imam Khomeini hospital and stored in liquid nitrogen until starting tests. The tests done in genetic laboratory of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Techniques we used in this research, were DNA extraction based on phenol-chloroform approach, Multiplex PCR (M-PCR) to amplify mentioned exons and KRAS/BRAF strip assays to detect mutations in mutated hotspots in exon 2 of KRAS and codon V600E in BRAF gene. Results: In this study, we observed 7 mutations in codons 12 and 13 exon 2 in KRAS gene (about 17.5%) and 4 mutations in codon V600E in BRAF gene (about 10%) of obtained tumor samples. The hotspot mutation in codon 12 were Asp (10%) and Ser (5%) respectively. In BRAF, the most common mutation, as we expected according to other researches, was observed in codon V600E. We also observed that 29 people of these patients were male (about 72.5%) and 11 patients were female (about 27.5%). Moreover, 28 patients were over 50 years, while 7 patients were below the age of 50. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that mutations in genes KRAS and BRAF especially in studied hotspots, and the effects on their molecules in EGFR signaling pathway are important in involving head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, as other cancers. These findings may be considered in choosing drugs for targeted chemotherapy

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Squamous Carcinoma of Oral Cavity: a Pilot Study

To evaluate the effect of adding neoadjuvant chemotherapy to surgery and radiation therapy for locally advanced resectable oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma, 24 patients with T3 or T4a oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma were randomly assigned to surgery alone or Docetaxel, Cisplatin, and 5-FU (TPF) induction chemotherapy followed by surgery. All patients were planned to receive chemoradiotherapy after surgery. The primary end-points were organ preservation and progression-free-survival. SPSS version 17 was used for data analysis. Median follow-up was 16 months. The median age of the patients was 62 years old (23-75 years). Man/woman ratio was 1.13. The primary site of the tumor was the tongue in most patients (48%). No significant difference was observed between pathologic characteristics of the two groups. Chemotherapy group showed 16% complete pathologic response to TPF. No significant difference in organ preservation surgery or overall survival was detected. However, the patients in the chemotherapy group had longer progression-free-survival (P=0.014). Surgery followed by chemoradiotherapy with or without TPF induction results in similar survival time. However, progression-free-survival improves with the TPF induction chemotherapy. Studies with more patents and new strategies are recommended to evaluate organ preservation improvement and long-term outcomes

Adjuvant high-dose-rate brachytherapy in the management of oral cavity cancers: 5 years of experience in Iran

Purpose : Brachytherapy is a cost-effective method for the management of oral cavity cancers in low to middle income countries. We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy (HDR-IBT) in patients with oral cavity cancer. Material and methods: From 2009 to 2013, 78 patients (49 combined external beam radiotherapy [EBRT] plus IBT and 29 IBT monotherapy) with oral cavity cancers had been treated in our center. Slightly more than half the patients were male, and the median age was 54 years. The treatment was planned based on the Paris system. The main outcomes were disease-free and overall survival. Results : The median follow-up duration was 36.5 months (range, 1.17-54.23). The actuarial four-year overall and disease-free survival rates were 83% and 65%, respectively. The local and locoregional control was achieved among 89.74% and 87.17% of patients, respectively. None of the factors including tumor size, node status, gender, and radiation modality (IBT alone vs. IBT + EBRT) had a significant statistical correlation to the local control rate. All the patients tolerated the planned treatment in the IBT alone group. Late complications included a case of trismus and three cases of catheter insertion site fibrosis. Conclusions : HDR-IBT as a monotherapy or in combination with EBRT is an appropriate option for the management of oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas, and supports the improvement in treatment outcomes and toxicity profiles in adjuvant settings