Palliative combined treatment for unresectable cutaneous basosquamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

A case is presented of a patient with a skin basosquamous cell carcinoma of the frontal region infiltrating the cerebral tissue and with a widespread unresectable regional metastatic ulceration of the left parotid region. The patient underwent combined palliative treatment: surgical coverage of the ulceration by means of a pectoralis mayor flap transposition and radiotherapy. After 18 months of follow-up, no signs of tumour progression were noted, the patient is currently free from pain, no increase in trismus was seen, and a slight gain in weight was recorded. Unresectable cancer is mainly treated by concurrent chemoradiation; radiotherapy, however, is contraindicated in deep neoplastic ulcerations with exposure of large vessels. The data reported suggest that surgical coverage of an unresectable neoplastic ulcer is feasible, and combined with early administration of radiation permits a palliative approach in an otherwise untreatable condition.Abstract available from the publisher

Subtotal supracricoid laryngectomy: changing in indications, surgical techniques and use of new surgical devices.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the evolution of supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL) in indications, surgical techniques and outcomes through last decades.A retrospective analysis of 146 patients affected by laryngeal cancer treated with SCPL was carried on. We defined: (1) group A, 100 patients treated by cold instruments between 1995 and 2004; (2) group B, 46 patients treated by harmonic scalpel between 2005 and 2010. Complications rate, and functional and oncological results were documented and a comparison between the two groups was made; histopathological analysis of surgical margins was evaluated and correlated with local incidence of recurrence.Significant differences in age mean-value (p=0.02), T classification (p=0.007), and in indication for more advanced-staged patients were found in group B (p=0.001). Surgical procedure was shorter in group B (p<0.001), with shorter swallowing recovery (p=0.003). Oncological outcomes did not report any significant differences. Group B showed a higher incidence of post- operative arytenoid edema (p=0.03) associated with a lower rate of pneumonia (p=0.038). Despite a higher rate of close or positive-margins found in group B no higher incidence of local-recurrence was reported (p=0.02) compared to group A.We documented changing in indications and surgical technique for SCPL because of the development of modern diagnostic techniques and the introduction of low-thermal injury device allowing a more challenging tumor excision as well as with a shorter swallowing recovery in our series

Methods and advanced Equipment for Simulation and Treatment in Radiation Oncology: programa MAESTRO

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Is elective neck dissection necessary in cases of laryngeal recurrence after previous radiotherapy for early glottic cancer?

To assess the clinical utility of elective neck dissection in node-negative recurrent laryngeal carcinoma after curative radiotherapy for initial early glottic cancer.A retrospective review was undertaken of 110 consecutive early glottic cancer patients who developed laryngeal recurrence after radiotherapy (34 recurrent T1, 36 recurrent T2, 29 recurrent T3 and 11 recurrent T4a) and received salvage laryngeal surgery between 1995 and 2005.Six patients presented with laryngeal and neck recurrence and underwent salvage laryngectomy with therapeutic neck dissection, 97 patients with recurrent node-negative tumours underwent salvage laryngeal surgery without neck dissection and only 7 underwent elective neck dissection. No occult positive lymph nodes were documented in neck dissection specimens. During follow up, only three patients with neck failure were recorded, all in the group without neck dissection. There was no significant association between the irradiation field (larynx plus neck vs larynx) and the development of regional failure. A higher rate of post-operative pharyngocutaneous fistula development occurred in the neck dissection group than in the group without neck dissection (57.2 per cent vs. 13.4 per cent, p = 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that early (recurrent tumour-positive, node-positive) or delayed (recurrent tumour-positive, node-negative) neck relapse was not significantly related to the stage of the initial tumour or the recurrent tumour. An age of less than 60 years was significantly associated with early neck failure (recurrent tumour-positive, node-positive).Owing to the low occult neck disease rate and high post-operative fistula rate, elective neck dissection is not recommended for recurrent node-negative laryngeal tumours after radiation therapy if the initial tumour was an early glottic cancer

Treatment of Epithelioid Sarcoma at the Royal Marsden Hospital

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess treatment and outcome with respect to clinical and pathological features

Role of perfusion CT in the evaluation of metastatic nodal tumor response after radiochemotherapy in head and neck cancer: preliminary findings

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes of CT perfusion parameters (ΔPCTp) of cervical lymph node metastases from head and neck cancer (HNC) before and after radiochemotherapy (RT-CT) and their association with nodal tumor persistence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligibility criteria included HNC (Stage III-IV) candidates for RT-CT. Patients underwent perfusion CT (PCT) at baseline 3 weeks and 3 months after RT-CT. Blood volume (BV), blood flow (BF), mean transit time (MTT) and permeability surface (PS) were calculated. PET/CT examination was also performed at baseline and 3 months after treatment for metabolic assessment. RESULTS: Between July 2012 and May 2016, 27 patients were evaluated. Overall, only 3 patients (11%) experienced tumor persistence in the largest metastatic lymph node. A significant reduction of all PCTp values (p<0.0001), except MTT (from 6.3 to 5.7 s; p=0.089), was observed at 3 weeks post-RT-CT compared to baseline. All PCTp values including MTT were significantly lower at 3-month follow-up compared to baseline (p<0.05). Moreover, a statistical significant association was observed between nodal tumor persistence and high BF values (p=0.045) at 3 months after treatment that did not occur for the other parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary findings show that all PCTp except MTT are significantly reduced after RT-CT. High BF values at 3 months post-RTCT are predictive of nodal tumor persistence

Incorporating dose–volume histogram parameters of swallowing organs at risk in a videofluoroscopy-based predictive model of radiation-induced dysphagia after head and neck cancer intensity-modulated radiation therapy

Purpose: To develop a&nbsp;videofluoroscopy-based predictive model of radiation-induced dysphagia (RID) by incorporating DVH parameters of swallowing organs at risk (SWOARs) in a&nbsp;machine learning analysis. Methods: Videofluoroscopy (VF) was performed to assess the penetration-aspiration score&nbsp;(P/A) at baseline and at 6 and 12&nbsp;months after RT. An RID predictive model was developed using dose to nine SWOARs and P/A-VF data at 6&nbsp;and 12 months after treatment. A&nbsp;total of 72&nbsp;dosimetric features for each patient were extracted from DVH and analyzed with linear support vector machine classification (SVC), logistic regression classification (LRC), and random forest classification (RFC). Results: 38&nbsp;patients were evaluable. The relevance of SWOARs DVH features emerged both at 6 months (AUC 0.82 with SVC; 0.80 with LRC; and 0.83 with RFC) and at 12 months (AUC 0.85 with SVC; 0.82 with LRC; and 0.94 with RFC). The SWOARs and the corresponding features with the highest relevance at 6 months resulted as the base of tongue (V65 and Dmean), the superior (Dmean) and medium constrictor muscle (V45, V55; V65; Dmp; Dmean; Dmax and Dmin), and the parotid glands (Dmean and Dmp). On the contrary, the features with the highest relevance at 12 months were the medium (V55; Dmin and Dmean) and inferior constrictor muscles (V55, V65 Dmin and Dmax), the glottis (V55 and Dmax), the cricopharyngeal muscle (Dmax), and the cervical esophagus (Dmax). Conclusion: We trained and cross-validated an&nbsp;RID predictive model with high discriminative ability at both 6&nbsp;and 12 months after RT. We expect to improve the predictive power of this model by enlarging the number of training datasets

Patient-Reported Outcomes After Swallowing (SWOARs)-Sparing IMRT in Head and Neck Cancers: Primary Results from a Prospective Study Endorsed by the Head and Neck Study Group (HNSG) of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO)

Objectives To prospectively investigate changes in M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) scores in patients affected by naso- and oropharynx cancer after definitive radiochemotherapy (ChemoRT) using swallowing organs at risk (SWOARs)-sparing IMRT. Methods MDADI questionnaires were collected at baseline and at 6 and 12 months after treatment. MDADI scores were categorized as follows: &gt;= 80 "optimal," 80-60 "adequate," &lt; 60 "poor" deglutition-related quality of life (QoL) group, and dichotomized as "optimal" vs "adequate/poor" for the analysis. A mean MDADI composite (MDADI-C) change of 10 points was considered as minimal clinically important difference (MCID). Results Sixty-three patients were enrolled of which 47 were considered for the analysis. At baseline, 26 (55%) were "optimal" and 21 (45%) were "adequate/poor." The mean baseline MDADI-C score was 93.6 dropping to 81 at 6 months (p = 0.013) and slightly rising to 85.5 at 12 months (p = 0.321) for the "optimal" group. Indeed, the mean baseline MDADI-C score was 64.3 rising to 77.5 at 6 months (p = 0.006) and stabilizing at 76 at 12 months (p = 0.999) for the "adequate/poor" group. A statistically significant but not clinically relevant worsening of the MDADI-C score was reported for the "optimal" group, whereas both a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement of the MDADI-C score were reported for the "adequate/poor" group from before to post-treatment. Conclusion Our results suggest a doubly clinical benefit of dose optimization to SWOARs to minimize the RT sequalae in patients with a baseline "optimal" deglutition-related QoL and to recover from cancer dysphagia in those with a baseline "adequate/poor" deglutition-related QoL

Results of a survey on elderly head and neck cancer patients on behalf of the Italian association of radiotherapy and clinical oncology (Airo)

Objective. Over the years, evidence-based data and technical improvements have consolidated the central role of radiation therapy (RT) in head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment, even in the elderly. This survey aimed to describe the management of the elderly HNC patients among Italian Radiation Oncology Departments (RODs) and provide possible suggestions for improvement. Methods. An online survey based on 43 questions was sent to RODs via email. For each RODs, a radiation oncologist with expertise in HNC was invited to answer questions ad-dressing his/her demographic data, ROD multidisciplinary unit (MU) organisation and ROD management policy in elderly HNC patients. Results. In total, 68 RODs answered, representing centres located in 16 Italian regions. MU was considered the core of HNC patient management in almost all the entire country. However, in many RODs, there was minimal access to a routinely comprehensive geriatric assessment at diagnosis. Most treatments were reported by respondents as curative (89% on average) and the preferred treatment technique was intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). A consider-able variation between RODs was found for RT target volumes. There was a relation between the specialist’s years of experience and type of concomitant systemic therapy prescribed. Conclusions. Substantial differences in elderly HNC management have been found, es-pecially concerning patient clinical evaluation and target volume delineation. This survey shows the necessity to design a prospective national trial to provide a uniform treatment strategy and define an effective patient-centred approach