Preoperative assessment of hyperactive delirium risk after head and neck surgery with free tissue transfer reconstruction.

Objective: Hyperactive delirium with agitation following head and neck surgeries with free tissue transfer reconstruction (HNS-FTTR) represents a critical and potentially life-threatening postoperative complication. Although preoperative risk assessment is important, no established risk screening tool has been developed to accurately predict its occurrence.

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we examined 192 consecutive patients who underwent HNS-FTTR between August 2019 and January 2024.

Neck dissection for treatment of supraglottic carcinoma associated with deep-seated intermuscular lipoma in the neck: A case report.

Lipomas are superficial tumors that occur primarily in the subcutaneous region and very rarely occur deeply within or between the muscle layers. No reports to date have described cervical lipomas in patients with head and neck cancer who underwent neck dissection. We herein report a case involving a 72-year-old woman with supraglottic carcinoma complicated by a cervical lipoma who underwent simultaneous neck dissection and lipoma removal.

Breathing-Swallowing discoordination after definitive chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancers is associated with aspiration pneumonia.

Purpose: Swallowing dysfunction and the risk of aspiration pneumonia are frequent clinical problems in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). Breathing-swallowing coordination is an important factor in evaluating the risk of aspiration pneumonia. To investigate breathing-swallowing discoordination after chemoradiotherapy (CRT), we monitored respiration and swallowing activity before and after CRT in patients with HNSCCs.

Efficacy of an enhanced recovery after surgery pathway to manage pain, nausea and vomiting after head and neck surgeries with free tissue transfer reconstruction.

Background: Pain and post-operative nausea and vomiting are the main factors that impair the quality of recovery after surgery. Very few reports have analyzed patient-reported outcomes to investigate the efficacy of an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol to alleviate these symptoms after head and neck surgeries with free tissue transfer reconstruction.

Methods: We investigated post-operative pain and post-operative nausea and vomiting in 47 patients who underwent head and neck surgeries with free tissue transfer reconstruction with enhanced recovery after surgery support between February 2021 and August 2022.

Salivary gland cancer organoids are valid for preclinical genotype-oriented medical precision trials.

Salivary gland cancers (SGCs) are heterogeneous tumors, and precision oncology represents a promising therapeutic approach; however, its impact on SGCs remains obscure. This study aimed to establish a translational model for testing molecular-targeted therapies by combining patient-derived organoids and genomic analyses of SGCs. We enrolled 29 patients, including 24 with SGCs and 5 with benign tumors.

Eustachian Tube Functions in Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

Ototoxicity is a dose-limiting adverse event for concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with high-dose cisplatin for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Both irradiation to the Eustachian tube (ET) and weight loss are risk factors for patulous ET. The aim of this prospective, observational study was to elucidate the incidences of patulous ET conditions before and after CCRT in HNSCC patients by means of ET function tests.

Simple Endoscopic Method of Scoring Swallowing Function After Treatment in Advanced Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

The aim of this prospective, observational study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a simple endoscopic method for scoring swallowing function after treatment of advanced head and neck cancer patients. A prospective, observational study was conducted involving 60 patients who had undergone surgery or chemoradiation for advanced head and neck cancer. Endoscopic score of swallowing function, penetration aspiration scale (PAS) score measured by videofluorography, and functional oral intake scale (FOIS) score were recorded, and their correlations were examined.

Trismus after partial maxillectomy and radiotherapy: Free flap reconstruction versus prosthetic obturation.

Objective: Partial maxillectomy and postoperative radiotherapy are both risk factors associated with trismus. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the incidence and severity of trismus in patients following partial maxillectomy with or without postoperative radiotherapy and to compare free flap reconstruction and prosthetic obturation.

Methods: A retrospective review of 40 oral cancer patients who underwent partial maxillectomy with or without postoperative radiotherapy was performed.

Investigation of the diversity of human papillomavirus 16 variants and L1 antigenic regions relevant for the prevention of human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal cancer in Japan.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the distribution of human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) variants that contribute to the development of HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinoma (HPV-OPC) in the Japanese population and to evaluate genetic variations in the sequence encoding the L1 antigen region of the viral outer shell that is targeted by existing vaccines and is relevant for designing a prevention strategy to combat the exponential increase in HPV-OPC cases in Japan.

Methods: Seventy Japanese HPV-OPC patients treated at Tohoku University Hospital were included in the study. DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples.

High diagnostic accuracy for lymph node metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma using PET/CT with a silicon photomultiplier.

Objective: The higher sensitivity of the new-generation positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) may increase false-positive rates in detecting metastatic lymph nodes (LNs). This study aimed to clarify the usefulness of the SiPM PET scanner in diagnosing LN metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT images of 39 SCC patients using SiPM PET and 31 SCC patients using non-SiPM PET.

The geriatric-8 screening tool for predicting complications in older adults after surgery for locally advanced head and neck cancer with free flap reconstruction.

Purpose: Radical surgery with free flap reconstruction for locally advanced head and neck cancer (HNC) is quite challenging for older adults. This retrospective study aimed to elucidate the usefulness of the geriatric-8 (G8) screening tool for predicting postoperative complications in older adults with HNC.

Methods: A retrospective review of 37 older adults with HNC who underwent radical surgery with free flap reconstruction and were assessed by the G8 screening tool was performed.

Serum selenium predicts achievement of full-dose cisplatin in concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A prospective, observational study.

Objective: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with three-weekly high-dose cisplatin (100 mg/m) is a standard treatment for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but compliance with cisplatin is often poor due to various adverse events. The aim of this prospective, observational study was to determine the predictors of achievement of full-dose cisplatin.

Methods: A prospective, observational study was conducted involving 60 patients who received CCRT with three-weekly high-dose cisplatin (100 mg/m) for locally advanced HNSCC.

Impact of CAD/CAM mandibular reconstruction on chewing and swallowing function after surgery for locally advanced oral cancer: A retrospective study of 50 cases.

Objective: Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques are increasingly applied to mandibular reconstruction, but the superiority of this method in oral food intake has not been well established. Considering the extent of mandibular defects, this retrospective study was aimed to clarify the impact of CAD/CAM mandibular reconstruction on chewing and swallowing function after surgery for locally advanced oral cancer.

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 50 patients who had undergone segmental mandibulectomy with free flap reconstruction for locally advanced oral cancer.

Use of the Geriatric-8 screening tool to predict prognosis and complications in older adults with head and neck cancer: A prospective, observational study.

Objectives: To clarify the usefulness of geriatric assessment screening tools for predicting prognosis and complications in older adults with head and neck cancer (HNC).

Material And Methods: The geriatric-8 (G8) screening tool was administered to 78 older adults with HNC at their first visit to the hospital before any treatments. The ability of the G8 to predict survival was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and determining the cut-off value using Youden's Index.

Management of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck: a single-institute study with over 25-year follow-up.

Background: Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor arising from exocrine glands such as the major and minor salivary glands of the paranasal sinuses or the external auditory canal. Although multiple retrospective clinical studies of ACC have been reported to date, clinical questions, such as 1) long-term prognosis beyond 20 years, 2) usefulness and suitability for treatment of therapeutic interventions, 3) therapeutic goal to aim for, and 4) prognosis by recurrence sites, are still unclear.

Methods: To improve understanding and management of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck (ACC), a retrospective study with 58 new ACC cases between 1991 and 2016 was performed.

Clinical utility of apparent diffusion coefficient and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for resectability assessment of head and neck tumors with skull base invasion.

Background: The usefulness of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) in the detection of malignant tumors has been reported. The purpose of this study is to clarify the role of ADC and DWI for diagnosis of skull base tumors.

Methods: A total of 27 patients with head and neck tumors with skull base invasions undergoing skull base surgery were enrolled in this study.

Improvement of a delayed swallowing reflex following treatment for advanced head and neck cancer.

Background: The latency of the swallowing reflex is an important factor causing dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients. Although there are many reports comparing voluntary swallowing function before and after treatment, few studies have focused on the latency of the swallowing reflex, which is a risk factor for pneumonia due to silent aspiration. The aim of this retrospective study was to clarify the changes in the latency of the swallowing reflex before and after treatment.

A multicenter phase II trial of paclitaxel, carboplatin, and cetuximab followed by chemoradiotherapy in patients with unresectable locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Background: Induction chemotherapy (IC) in locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (LA-SCCHN) often compromises compliance with subsequent chemoradiotherapy (CRT), which negatively affects outcomes. Here, we assessed the combination of paclitaxel (PTX), carboplatin (CBDCA), and cetuximab (Cmab) as IC for unresectable LA-SCCHN.

Methods: Induction chemotherapy consisted of weekly CBDCA area under the plasma concentration-time curve = 1.

Parotid secretory carcinoma with high-grade transformation.

Here we present a patient with a parotid secretory carcinoma (SC) with high-grade transformation. A 65-year-old female was referred to our hospital due to a gradually growing right parotid tumor discovered initially about 4 years earlier. MRI imaging detected a right parotid tumor 50 mm in the longer axis.

Predictors of chewing and swallowing disorders after surgery for locally advanced oral cancer with free flap reconstruction: A prospective, observational study.

Objective: Surgery for locally advanced oral cancer often requires wide resections of multiple subsites of the oral cavity, including the oral tongue, floor of the mouth, and lower gingiva, and it causes chewing and swallowing disorders. The aim of this prospective, observational study was to determine which subsites have a greater impact on chewing and swallowing disorders after surgery.

Methods: A prospective, observational study was conducted involving 52 patients who underwent surgery for locally advanced oral cancer with free flap reconstruction.

Clinical utility of dynamic-enhanced MRI in salivary gland tumors: retrospective study and literature review.

Purpose: To improve the diagnoses of the salivary gland tumors, a dynamic-enhanced MRI (dMRI) was investigated.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 93 cases of salivary gland tumors. The histological diagnoses were obtained from all patients using a surgical specimen and/or an open biopsy specimen.

Poor oral intake causes enteral nutrition dependency after concomitant chemoradiotherapy for pharyngeal cancers.

Purpose: To identify precipitating factors responsible for enteral nutrition (EN) dependency after concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) of head and neck cancers and to examine their statistical correlations.

Methods: Factors related to feeding condition, nutritional status, disease, and treatment of 26 oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer patients who received definitive CCRT were retrospectively investigated by examining their medical records. The days of no oral intake (NOI) during hospitalization and the months using enteral nutrition after CCRT were counted as representing the feeding condition, and the changes in body weight (BW) were examined as reflecting nutritional status.

Simple laryngeal suspension procedure by suturing the digastric muscle to the periosteum of the mandible in neck dissection for tongue cancer.

Purpose: In this article, a simple, new laryngeal suspension procedure is described. The effect of hyoid bone suspension by suturing the digastric muscle to the periosteum of the mandible is analyzed.

Materials And Methods: To elucidate the effect of hyoid bone suspension, CT scans of 26 patients who underwent ipsilateral neck dissection with primary resection of tongue cancer were retrospectively reviewed, and the distance between the hyoid bone and the mandible was measured on the operated and unoperated sides of the neck.

The prolonged presence of a fish bone in the neck.

Fish bones are one of the most frequently observed ingested foreign bodies in the pharynx-esophagus. Fish bones have a tendency to stick and penetrate the mucosa, which can occasionally lead to severe or lethal complications. The extraluminal migration of fish bones in the upper digestive tract is a rare event, and it is even more unlikely that the foreign body will remain in the neck for a prolonged period.