Keep an Ear Out for Francisella tularensis: Otomastoiditis Cases after Canyoneering.

We report here three unusual cases of otomastoiditis due to Francisella tularensis, complicated by cervical abscesses and persistent hearing loss, plus facial paralysis for one patient. Intriguingly, the three patients had practiced canyoneering independently in the same French river, between 2009 and 2014, several days before clinical symptoms onset. The results point out that fresh water exposure may be a potential contamination route for tularemia.

Curative treatment can be an option for patients with metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck.

Background: No specific study has focused on patients with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) at diagnosis. Due to high response rates of induction chemotherapy in chemo-naïve patients with localized disease, their prognosis should be better than patients with recurrent disease.

Methods: From January 1, 2008 to July 1, 2012, we retrospectively collected all patients' records with SCCHN diagnosed as metastatic.