On-treatment immune prognostic score for patients with relapsed and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with immunotherapy.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that inflammatory markers (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and fibrinogen) are prognostic biomarkers in patients with a variety of solid cancers, including those treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We aimed to develop a model that predicts response and survival in patients with relapsed and/or metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with immunotherapy.

Methods: Analysis of 100 consecutive patients with unresectable R/M HNSCC who were treated with ICI.

A randomised controlled trial of Caphosol mouthwash in management of radiation-induced mucositis in head and neck cancer.

Purpose: This phase III, non-blinded, parallel-group, randomised controlled study evaluated the efficacy of Caphosol mouthwash in the management of radiation-induced oral mucositis (OM) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing radical (chemo)radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Eligible patients were randomised at 1:1 to Caphosol plus standard oral care (intervention) or standard oral care alone (control), stratified by radiotherapy technique and use of concomitant chemotherapy. Patients in the intervention arm used Caphosol for 7weeks: 6weeks during and 1-week post-radiotherapy.

Fatigue during chemoradiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer and its relationship to radiation dose distribution in the brain.

Background And Purpose: Fatigue during head and neck radiotherapy may be related to radiation dose to the central nervous system (CNS). The impact of patient, tumour, and dosimetric variables on acute fatigue was assessed in nasopharyngeal cancer patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy.

Material And Methods: Radiation dose to the following retrospectively-delineated CNS structures; brainstem, cerebellum, pituitary gland, pineal gland, hypothalamus, hippocampus and basal ganglia (BG) and clinical variables were related to incidence of ⩾ grade 2 fatigue in 40 patients.

Tracheo-oesophageal party wall thickness in laryngectomised patients in India: implications for surgical voice restoration.

Objective: To document accurately the tracheo-oesophageal party wall thickness (PWT) intra-operatively in patients undergoing total laryngectomy and to correlate it with constitutional parameters like height, weight, body mass index (BMI), age, and gender. Also, to correlate PWT with the length of tract (LOT), that is prosthesis size, as measured using the standard valve length measuring device provided by the manufacturers.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients of carcinoma larynx, following removal of the diseased larynx had their tracheo-oesophageal PWT measured using a special custom-designed and calibrated external (or outside) calliper and a primary trachea-oesophageal puncture (TOP) was made and inserted 10-14 days postoperative with an appropriately sized Blom-Singer(R) indwelling voice prosthesis.

Dysphagia in head and neck cancer.

Dysphagia is an important symptom of head and neck cancer (HNC), as well as representing a significant complication of its treatment. The treatment of HNC can result in neuromuscular and sensory damage affecting any stage of the swallow. The protective mechanisms during swallowing afforded by the structures in the pharynx are also affected in HNC.

Making sense of post-treatment surveillance in head and neck cancer: when and what of follow-up.

Follow-up in patients treated for head and neck cancer (HNC) is aimed at early detection of recurrence, metastases and second primary tumours. Various modalities for the routine follow-up of patients with HNC have been proposed and studied in the literature. Consequently, practising head and neck surgeons and oncologists all over the world use different guidelines and protocols to follow-up their patients.

Challenges for the future modifications of the TNM staging system for head and neck cancer: case for a new computational model?

The TNM system of staging cancers is a simple and effective method to map the extent of tumours. It had traditionally strived to maintain a balance between being simple and user-friendly on one hand and comprehensive on the other. A number of revisions have taken place over the years with the goal of improving utility.

A short perspective on the surgical restoration of alaryngeal speech.

Despite advances in conservative laryngeal surgery and radiotherapy, total laryngectomy still remains the procedure of choice for advanced-stage laryngeal carcinoma around the world. The loss of natural voice is very often traumatic for the total laryngectomy patient, presenting lifelong challenges for communication in a world that relies heavily on verbal communication. Functional rehabilitation of these patients has long been one of the major challenges facing clinicians, but it is only in the last three decades that the emphasis on restoration of function and quality of life has become almost as important as cure and survival.

Quality of life and outcomes research in head and neck cancer: a review of the state of the discipline and likely future directions.

Quality of life (QOL) is by definition a multi-dimensional global construct that has become an increasingly important outcome measure in cancer treatment. The impact of a head and neck cancer (HNC) diagnosis on the person and the consequences of its treatment cross multiple functional domains that have a clear and direct influence on one's post-treatment well-being and associated QOL. The evaluation of QOL and performance outcome in cancer is critical to optimal patient care, comprehensive evaluation of treatment alternatives, and the development of informed rehabilitation and patient education services.