Early diagnosis of radiotherapy failure for patients with head and neck cancer: the role of biochemical markers.

Purpose: There is a lack of effective diagnostic tools for early assessment of radiotherapy (RT) outcome in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). The timely diagnosis of treatment failure may facilitate use of salvage procedures to prevent disease progression. We assessed squamous cell carcinoma antigen and CYFRA 21-1 as early markers of radiotherapy failure in patients with HNC.

Ionizing radiation affects profile of serum metabolites: increased level of 3-hydroxybutyric acid in serum of cancer patients treated with radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy causes molecular changes observed at the level of body fluids, which are potential biomarker candidates for assessment of radiation exposure. Here we analyzed radiotherapy-induced changes in a profile of small metabolites detected in sera of head and neck cancer patients using the gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry approach. There were about 20 compounds, including carboxylic acids, sugars, amines and amino acids, whose levels significantly differed between pre-treatment and post-treatment samples.

Human papillomavirus DNA in pharyngeal scrapes as a marker of HPV-related squamous cell cancer of the oropharynx.

Background: Recent studies have indicated that human papillomavirus is an etiologic agent for a subset of head and neck cancers associated with better prognosis, therefore, prompt confirmation of such etiology seems to be crucial for choosing the optimal therapeutic option. Standard HPV diagnosis is currently based on histopathological material. In the present study, the novel diagnostic method based on pharyngeal brush biopsy is proposed.

[Extramedullary plasmacytoma of the neck--case report].

Extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) is a rare neoplasm which belongs to non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, which is characterized by monoclonal, neoplastic proliferation of B-type lymphocytes in the soft tissues. The most common location for EMP to occur is the nasopharynx and paranasal sinuses. Treatment is efficacious with surgery, radiotherapy or combination these two methods.

[Assessment of retrocochlear hearing pathway activity in infants with central nervous system impairment occurring as an effect of perinatal asphyxia].

Introduction: The most often changes in the central nervous system (CNS) occurring as an effect of perinatal asphyxia are found to be hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in term newborns, peri- (PVH) or intraventricular hemorrhages (IVH) and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) in preterm neonates. Chronic hypoxia is considered to affect the brainstem in infants, especially nuclei of the hearing pathway are vulnerable to low oxygen level. The aim of the study was to carry out the objective assessment of the retrocochlear hearing pathway activity using ABR in infants with CNS impairment occurring as an effect of perinatal asphyxia, imaged during trans-fontanel ultrasonography.

[Septal nasal chondroma--a case report].

Introduction: Cartilaginous tumors of the head and neck are rare. The most frequent site is larynx and spheno-ethmoidal area. Chondroma of the nasal septum is very rare.

[Parapharyngeal oncocytoma of the parotid gland--case report].

Oncocytoma is a rare, benign salivary gland tumour with slowly course. It usually occurs in the parotid gland, seldom in submandibular gland. This report presents a case of parapharyngeal oncocytoma of the left parotid gland in 77-year-old patient, treated in 2nd ENT Department of Medical University of Silesia in Zabrze.

[Otoacoustic emissions measurements in children during the chemotherapy because of the acute lymphoblastic leukemia].

Introduction: Chemotherapy is associated with an increased risk of ototoxic changes. The predictive value of conventional pure-tone audiometry on early detection of ototoxicity has been questioned. Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) appear to be more sensitive to cochlear insult than the conventional pure-audiometry.

[Hearing evaluation in chronic renal failure children].

Unlabelled: Chronic renal failure (CRF) causes a lot of systemic side-effects, among them: neurological and otological complications. In present study hearing evaluation was made in young patients, using distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and auditory brainstem responses (ABR).

The Aim Of Study: (1) objective assessment of hearing organ activity in CRF children, (2) localization of hearing organ part involved in CRF, (3) establishing best parameters of ipsilateral stimulation in DPOAEs for clinical use.

[Hearing evaluation in children during chemotherapy].

Chemotherapy is associated with an increased risk of ototoxic changes. The purpose of our study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAEs) as early indicator of chemotherapy-induced ototoxicity. Tonal audiometry, emission audiometry and DPOAEs were measured in 7 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

[Assessment of cochlea activity in a group of newborns with central nervous system impairment as an effect of perinatal asphyxia using click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs)].

During adaptation of newborn to extra-uterine environment dramatic changes in functioning in the inner organs and the entire human body is observed. Complicated or premature birth as well as complicated course of a perinatal period may cause reversible or irreversible damage of various tissues, organs or systems, and, consequently, their dysfunction. The most often changes in the central nervous system (CNS) in newborns occurring as an effect of perinatal asphyxia are found to be ischemic-hypoxic encephalopathy (IHE), periventricular leucomalacia (PVL) and intraventricular hemorrhages (IVH).

[Evaluation of cochlear function in children with chronic renal failure].

Unlabelled: In present study cochlear function was evaluate in young chronic renal failure (CRF) patients using distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs).

The Aim Of Study: (a) objective assessment of cochlear function in CRF children, (b) establishing best parameters of ipsilateral stimulation in DPOAEs (DP-gram format) for clinical use. Hearing acuity was assessed in 19 CRF children and 18 healthy children.

[Evaluation of the cochlear efferent system in patients with cerebello-pontine angle tumor].

The aim of the study was to estimate a cochlear efferent system in the group of patents with cerebello-pontine angle tumor (CPA). The size of an efferent effect was defined as the difference of the amplitudes in click evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs) during without contralateral acoustic stimulation (CAS) and with broad-bond noise (BBN) was estimated. The research was also conducted on the influence of tumor dimensions, age, sex, and the hearing level in tonal audiometry on the size of the efferent effect.