Cervical Spine Osteomyelitis after Esophageal Dilation in Patients with a History of Laryngectomy or Pharyngectomy and Pharyngeal Irradiation

Dysphagia is a common sequela of the treatment of head and neck cancer and is frequently managed with esophageal dilation in patients with dysphagia secondary to hypopharyngeal stenosis. Reported complications of esophageal dilation include bleeding, esophageal perforation, and mediastinitis. We examine four cases of cervical spine osteomyelitis presenting as a delayed complication of esophageal dilation for hypopharyngeal stenosis in patients with a history of laryngectomy or pharyngectomy and radiation with or without chemotherapy. The history of head and neck surgery and radiation in these patients further complicates the management of the cervical spine osteomyelitis

NUT Midline Carcinoma in a Pregnant Woman

NUT midline carcinoma is a rare, highly aggressive tumor that involves midline structures, particularly in the head, neck and mediastinum. It is characterized by NUT gene translocations on chromosome 15. It typically impacts teenagers or young adults, and has a fulminant course leading to death in less than a year in most cases despite aggressive chemoradiotherapy. Due to its location, this tumor is frequently considered inoperable. We present a case of a sinonasal NUT midline carcinoma with orbital invasion discovered during the workup of sinusitis in a young, pregnant woman. The tumor was managed with definitive excision to negative margins followed by aggressive chemoradiation, with no evidence of recurrence for 12 months. We propose that diagnosis of NUT midline carcinoma should prompt recognition of the limitations of current medical therapy and rapid surgical intervention should be undertaken when possible

Tumor Metabolism in the Microenvironment of Nodal Metastasis in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

ABSTRACT Introduction: Monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4) is a cell membrane transporter of lactate. MCT4 is a tumor-specific marker of oxidative stress, glycolysis and hypoxia in tumor stromal cells. We investigated HPV positive and negative tumors with regional metastases to cervical lymph nodes (LN) to study how the metastatic tumor cells interact with their microenvironment. By selecting cancers with extracapsular extension (ECE), we intended to evaluate the interaction between metastases and the surrounding extranodal tissue. Methods: Clinical data were collected from 24 advanced stage oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) patients with neck LN metastasis. All patients presented with at least N1 disease and had ECE. Sixteen cases were negative for HPV and eight were positive. Ten patients (42%) had ECE \u3c 1 mm, and 14 (58%) had ECE \u3e than 1 mm. The extent of ECE was quantified on H&E stains by distance from the edge of capsule. The paraffin-embedded metastatic LN sections were stained with MCT4 and quantification was accomplished using the Aperio Co-localization algorithm. Results: High stromal MCT4 expression was strongly associated with the extent of ECE regardless of HPV status (p=0.031). The stromal MCT4 expression in ECE area was significantly higher as opposed to the surrounding extranodal tissue adjacent to intact capsule (p\u3c0.001). We also found a borderline difference in expression of MCT4 in HPV- LN with ECE \u3e1mm vs. \u3c1mm(p=0.06). Conclusions: MCT4 is a marker of oxidative stress and higher expression of stromal MCT4 in ECE area is significantly correlated with the extent of ECE. The stromal cells separating nests of cancer cells in ECE area have apparent expression of the MCT4. Together these findings provide new insight into the critical role of stromal MCT4 in nodal metastasis and ECE in OPSCC and it may be useful to develop a novel prognostic marker and new anti-cancer agents

Evaluating Barriers to Clinical Trial Enrollment in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology

Introduction and Objectives: Clinical trials are an important focus in academic otolaryngology practices, but busy practices may pose difficulty for identification and enrollment of patients eligible for trials. We will identify barriers to enrollment from the perspective of both head and neck surgical oncologists and their patients. Methods: Patients who were eligible for any of the eight clinical trials offered at Jefferson between August and November 2020 were identified. We utilized an Epic EMR phrase to capture if a trial was offered or not and why, whether a patient refused enrollment and why, and patient wait time. Results: During the 4 month period, the clinic saw 45 new patients with a cancer diagnosis and the EMR SmartPhrase was used 32 times. For those offered a trial, 18.8% agreed to enroll and 6.3% deferred to make a final decision at a later appointment. Of patients that were eligible for a trial but declined, 60% were due to concerns about clinical trial enrollment and 40% because of general disinterest. Reasons for ineligibility were more difficult to track in the group where SmartPhrase was not used because the providers’ thought processes were not declared. We will present average wait time data. Discussion: Use of the Epic SmartPhrase for evaluation of common barriers to clinical trial enrollment has allowed further documentation for explanations of ineligibility or refusal to enroll. In conjunction, we expect lowering wait times will help optimize trial enrollment

Effects of Temperature, Salinity and Fish in Structuring the Macroinvertebrate Community in Shallow Lakes: Implications for Effects of Climate Change

Climate warming may lead to changes in the trophic structure and diversity of shallow lakes as a combined effect of increased temperature and salinity and likely increased strength of trophic interactions. We investigated the potential effects of temperature, salinity and fish on the plant-associated macroinvertebrate community by introducing artificial plants in eight comparable shallow brackish lakes located in two climatic regions of contrasting temperature: cold-temperate and Mediterranean. In both regions, lakes covered a salinity gradient from freshwater to oligohaline waters. We undertook day and night-time sampling of macroinvertebrates associated with the artificial plants and fish and free-swimming macroinvertebrate predators within artificial plants and in pelagic areas. Our results showed marked differences in the trophic structure between cold and warm shallow lakes. Plant-associated macroinvertebrates and free-swimming macroinvertebrate predators were more abundant and the communities richer in species in the cold compared to the warm climate, most probably as a result of differences in fish predation pressure. Submerged plants in warm brackish lakes did not seem to counteract the effect of fish predation on macroinvertebrates to the same extent as in temperate freshwater lakes, since small fish were abundant and tended to aggregate within the macrophytes. The richness and abundance of most plant-associated macroinvertebrate taxa decreased with salinity. Despite the lower densities of plant-associated macroinvertebrates in the Mediterranean lakes, periphyton biomass was lower than in cold temperate systems, a fact that was mainly attributed to grazing and disturbance by fish. Our results suggest that, if the current process of warming entails higher chances of shallow lakes becoming warmer and more saline, climatic change may result in a decrease in macroinvertebrate species richness and abundance in shallow lakes

Two-year Mortality in Elderly Free Flap Patients: Case-Control Study

Balshi Award Presentation Presentation: 5:0

Risk factors for unplanned readmission in total laryngectomy patients

OBJECTIVE: To determine which patient or surgical factors affect the likelihood of unplanned readmission (within 30 days) after total laryngectomy (TL). METHODS: Retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent TL at a single institution from April 2007 through August 2016. Primary outcome was unplanned readmission to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were performed to identify risk factors for unplanned readmission. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-eight patients met inclusion criteria. Twenty-nine patients (10.4%) had unplanned readmissions within 30 days. The most common reasons for readmission were pharyngocutaneous fistula (n = 15), neck abscess (n = 3), and wound breakdown (n = 4). Average time to unplanned readmission was 11.2 days (range 0-27 days). Fistula (OR 30.259; 95% CI, 9.186, 118.147; P ≤ .001), postoperative pneumonia (OR 9.491; 95% CI, 1.783, 53.015; P = .008), and history of cardiac disease (OR 7.074; 95% CI, 2.324, 25.088, P = .001) were independently associated with an increased risk of 30-day unplanned readmission on multivariate analysis. However, return to OR on initial admission was associated with a lower risk of unplanned readmission (OR 0.075; 95% CI, 0.009, 0.402; P = .007). Unplanned readmission was associated with a delay in initiation of adjuvant radiation (OR 1.494; 95% CI, 1.397, 1.599; P \u3c .001). CONCLUSION: Unplanned readmission occurs in a small but significant number of TL patients. Patients who have a 30-day unplanned readmission may be at risk for a delay in initiation of adjuvant therapy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 130:1725-1732, 2020

Sensitivity of Fine-Needle Aspiration and Imaging Modalities in the Diagnosis of Low-Grade Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Parotid Gland.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and imaging modalities for low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the parotid gland. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with low-grade MEC of the parotid gland following surgical excision between January 2010 and June 2018. Imaging from patients with MEC were randomly mixed with imaging from patients with benign pathology and reviewed in a blinded fashion. Main outcome measure was sensitivity. RESULTS: A total of 24 patients were confirmed to have had low-grade MEC on final pathology, with a total of 31 FNAs performed between them. Twelve of 31 FNAs were positive for low-grade MEC, with a sensitivity of 39%. A total of 27 imaging studies were reviewed, which included 16 patients with low-grade MEC and 11 patients with benign pathology. Of these 27 imaging studies, 10 were declared indeterminate. Of the remaining 17 imaging studies, 13 were reviewed as malignant (11 true positive and 2 false positive) and 4 as benign (4 true negative). Overall magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sensitivity for low-grade MEC was 100% (9/9) with 95% CI (0.66-1.0) when considering indeterminate results as positive for malignancy. CONCLUSION: This study reaffirms that for low-grade MEC, sensitivity of FNA is poor. MRI provides an important diagnostic tool in the evaluation of salivary gland neoplasms, due to its increased sensitivity for low-grade MEC when considering indeterminate results as positive. This provides confidence in the diagnosis of benign tumors and allows appropriate counseling of all options to the patient, including observation. Imaging and low threshold of excision should be considered despite an inflammatory or benign FNA

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound-guided Sentinel lymph node biopsy of the ocular conjunctiva.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has been utilized for cutaneous melanoma and other malignancies arising from the eye and ocular adnexa. Currently, SLNB requires blue dyes and/or radiopharmaceuticals; both of which have significant shortcomings. This study sought to evaluate the feasibility of SLNB with the use of real-time, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) as an alternative technique for tumors arising in the conjunctiva. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective feasibility study in a porcine model. METHODS: Twelve experiments were performed on six non-tumor-bearing Yorkshire swine. An ultrasound contrast agent, Sonazoid (GE Healthcare, Oslo, Norway), (99m) technetium ((99m) Tc), and methylene blue (MB) (Covidien, Mansfield, MA) were injected in the ocular conjunctiva. Sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) were localized with CEUS and findings were compared to that of MB and (99m) Tc. Fisher exact test was used. RESULTS: Contrast-enhanced SLNs were identified within an average of 6.2 minutes from time of injection of Sonazoid. A total of 17 SLNs were identified by at least one of the three techniques. Correlation between Sonazoid and (99m) Tc was 94.1% (16/17 SLNs). Correlation between (99m) Tc and MB was 88.2% (15/17). One SLN that was positive for (99m) Tc but negative for Sonazoid and was considered to be a false positive (1/17); findings were similar for MB (1/17). Differences between the three techniques were not significant (P = .886). CONCLUSIONS: CEUS-guided injection of conjunctiva for SLNB is technically feasible and correlates well with standard detection techniques. This technique shows promise for rapid, real-time, intraoperative imaging for SLNB, using a widely available imaging modality and avoiding the need for radiopharmaceuticals. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N