Intensity-modulated radiotherapy for head and neck surgeons.

The development of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has played a major role in improving outcomes and decreasing morbidity in patients with head and neck cancer. This review addresses this vital modality with a focus on the important role of the head and neck surgeon. The technique as well as its benefits and points of caution are outlined, the definitions of tumor and treatment volumes are discussed, and the dose and fractionation are detailed.

Disruption of mutated BRAF signaling modulates thyroid cancer phenotype.

Background: Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine-related cancer in the United States and its incidence is rising rapidly. Since among various genetic lesions identified in thyroid cancer, the BRAFV600E mutation is found in 50% of papillary thyroid cancers and 25% of anaplastic thyroid cancers, this mutation provides an opportunity for targeted drug therapy. Our laboratory evaluated cellular phenotypic effects in response to treatment with PLX4032, a BRAFV600E-specific inhibitor, in normal BRAF-wild-type thyroid cells and in BRAFV600E-positive papillary thyroid cancer cells.

Thyroidectomy outcomes: a national perspective.

Objectives: Describe trends and outcomes of patients undergoing thyroidectomy.

Study Design And Setting: Retrospective search of national inpatient database.

Subjects And Methods: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2009 was searched using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes for thyroidectomy.

Estrogen activity as a preventive and therapeutic target in thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine-related cancer with increasing incidences during the last five years. Interestingly, according to the American Thyroid Association, the incidences of thyroid proliferative diseases occur four to five times more in women than in men with the risk of developing thyroid disorders being one in every eight females. Several epidemiological studies have suggested a possible correlation between incidences of thyroid malignancies and hormones but the precise contribution of estrogen in thyroid proliferative disease initiation, and progression is not well understood.

Second primaries after major salivary gland cancer.

Objectives: To evaluate the risk of second primary cancers in patients with major salivary gland cancer using a large population database and to examine the effects of sex, salivary gland cancer histology, and radiation therapy on the risk of second primaries.

Study Design: Population-based study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) cancer database.

Subject And Methods: The subjects were 15,572 men and women ages 15 and above, diagnosed with cancer of the major salivary glands from 1973 to 2006.

The administration of IL-12/GM-CSF and Ig-4-1BB ligand markedly decreases murine floor of mouth squamous cell cancer.

Objective: To assess immune-based gene therapy in a murine floor of mouth (FOM) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) model.

Study Design: In vitro and in vivo testing of immune therapy for SCC.

Methods: Multiple SCC lines were infected by using advRSV-interleukin-12 (IL-12) and advCMV-interleukin-12/granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (IL-12/GM-CSF) and monitored for production of IL-12 and GM-CSF.

Combined VSV oncolytic virus and chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma.

Objectives: Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is a negative-strand ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus that replicates specifically in tumor cells and has oncolytic effects in a variety of malignant tumors. We previously demonstrated recombinant VSV vectors incorporating viral fusion protein (rVSV-F) and interleukin 12 (rVSV-IL12) to have significant antitumor effects against squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in a murine model. Here we evaluate the potential to combine a potent chemotherapeutic agent for SCC (cisplatin) with rVSV-F and rVSV-IL12 to improve efficacy.

Fusogenic vesicular stomatitis virus for the treatment of head and neck squamous carcinomas.

Objectives: This study investigates the efficacy of recombinant fusogenic VSV [rVSV-NDV/F(L289A) or rVSV-F] in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Study Design And Setting: The in vitro replication and cytotoxicity of rVSV-F were studied in two human SCC cell lines, in one murine SCC cell line, and in human keratinocytes. The effects on tumor size and animal survival were investigated following in vivo rVSV-F treatment of floor-of-mouth tumor model C3H/HeJ mice.

Interleukin-12 expression enhances vesicular stomatitis virus oncolytic therapy in murine squamous cell carcinoma.

Objectives: Replication-competent, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) has been demonstrated to be an effective oncolytic agent in a variety of malignant tumors. Cytokine gene transfer has also been used as immunomodulatory therapy for cancer. To test the use of combining these two approaches, an oncolytic VSV vector (rVSV-IL12) was designed to express the murine interleukin 12 (IL12) gene.

Screening of middle ear effusion for the common sinus pathogen Bipolaris.

Recently, a third of middle ear effusions have been shown to harbor fungal DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This suggests that fungi, in addition to being an important sinus pathogen, may also play an important role in acute and serous otitis media. Bipolaris is an important sinus pathogen whose role in infections of the ear is unknown.

Use of laboratory evaluation and radiologic imaging in the diagnostic evaluation of children with sensorineural hearing loss.

Objective: Laboratory testing and radiologic imaging are commonly used to delineate syndromic from nonsyndromic sensorineural HL (SNHL). The aim of this study was to examine the yield of laboratory tests and radiologic imaging commonly used in the diagnostic evaluation of SNHL in children.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis of 114 (54 female, 60 male) consecutively investigated children with SNHL between 1998 and 2000 at a tertiary-care university hospital.