Revealing molecular mechanisms of early-onset tongue cancer by spatial transcriptomics.

Tongue cancer at a young age demonstrates an increase in incidence, aggressiveness, and poor response to therapy. Classic etiological factors for head and neck tumors such as tobacco, alcohol, and human papillomavirus are not related to early-onset tongue cancer. Mechanisms of development and progression of this cancer remain unclear.

Mutation profiling in eight cases of vagal paragangliomas.

Background: Vagal paragangliomas (VPGLs) belong to a group of rare head and neck neuroendocrine tumors. VPGLs arise from the vagus nerve and are less common than carotid paragangliomas. Both diagnostics and therapy of the tumors raise significant challenges.

Functional tongue and floor of mouth reconstruction with a chimeric flap after total glossectomy.

Purpose: Presently, the functional reconstruction of the tongue in patients after subtotal or total glossectomy with the removal of the oral floor muscles and spearing of the larynx remains a complicated and unsolved issue. The aim of this case is to describe a method reconstruction of the tongue in patients after total glossectomy with the removal of the oral floor muscles using the chimeric latissimus dorsi and serratus anterior free flap (chimeric LD + SA flap) with motor innervation.

Methods: A 62-year-old woman with advanced cancer of the oral cavity was submitted to total glossectomy and then reconstruction with a chimeric LD + SA flap.

Mutational load in carotid body tumor.

Background: Carotid body tumor (CBT) is a rare neoplasm arising from paraganglion located near the bifurcation of the carotid artery. There is great intra-tumor heterogeneity, and CBT development could be associated with both germline and somatic allelic variants. Studies on the molecular genetics of CBT are limited, and the molecular mechanisms of its pathogenesis are not fully understood.