Use of a Dermal Regeneration Template in a two-stage reconstruction after extensive skin surgery for Bowen's disease of the anterior neck - Case report.

Introduction: Dermal Regeneration Templates may be used in the reconstruction of large skin defects after cutaneous malignancy excisions. Bowen's disease (BD; squamous cell carcinoma in situ) is a common and persistent condition that can be related to chronic sun damage, and consequently, is usually located on the head and neck area or on the lower limbs. Literature does not provide clear guidelines on the treatment of BD, limiting itself to describing a wide range of different methods that can be used, including surgery, laser therapy or topical options.

Neuro-Oncology and Positron Emission Tomography: "Just Can't Get Enough".

Imaging has a pivotal role in neuro-oncology for the management of primary and secondary brain tumors [...

Add-on radioiodine during long-term BRAF/MEK inhibition in patients with RAI-refractory thyroid cancers: a reasonable option?

Dual modulation of the MAPK pathway with BRAF (e.g., dabrafenib) and MEK (e.

Similar local recurrence and survival in patients with T1 radial growth phase melanoma on head and neck treated with 5 or 10 mm margins: A retrospective study.

Background: Melanoma guidelines recommend surgical excision with 10 mm margins for T1 melanomas (invasive melanomas with Breslow thickness ≤1 mm), including those in radial growth phase, which are without metastatic potential; however, such margins may be problematic on head-and-neck.

Objective: We compared outcomes of wide (10 mm margins) versus narrow (5 mm margins) excisions in patients with radial growth phase T1 melanoma on head-and-neck including face.

Methods: We retrospectively examined 610 consecutive patients excised with wide versus narrow margins, from 2001 to 2018, at six European centres.

Diagnostic Accuracy of PET/CT or PET/MRI Using PSMA-Targeting Radiopharmaceuticals in High-Grade Gliomas: A Systematic Review and a Bivariate Meta-Analysis.

Background: Several studies proposed the use of positron emission tomography (PET) with Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA)-targeting radiopharmaceuticals in brain tumors. Our aim is to calculate the diagnostic accuracy of these methods in high-grade gliomas (HGG) with a bivariate meta-analysis.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search of studies on the diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT or PET/MRI with PSMA-targeting radiopharmaceuticals in HGG was performed.

The role of palliative care in relapsed and metastatic head and neck cancer patients in a single ESMO integrated oncology and palliative care centre.

Background: Palliative care (PC) for patients with advanced cancer improves symptom management and quality of life and may promote home deaths. Limited data are available regarding PC in advanced head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. The aim of this study was to describe the type of care and modalities of integration of specialized PC in a population of relapsed and/or metastatic head and neck cancer patients, followed in a single institution over 4 years.

Covid-19 and beyond: Broadening horizons about social media use in oncology. A survey study with healthcare professionals caring for youth with cancer.

Objectives: The study aimed to explore the attitudes of Swiss healthcare professionals toward the use of social media in adolescent and young adult oncology, and to examine whether the ongoing social restrictions due to COVID-19 might have altered these attitudes.

Methods: This research was a survey study. The subjects were healthcare providers working in pediatric or adult oncology settings in Switzerland.

Do oncologists prefer subspecialty radiology reports? A quality care study.

Background: The main objective was to assess whether CT reports of radiologists subspecialized in oncologic imaging respond better to oncological referrals than reports from general radiologists. The secondary objective was to assess differences in ratings between a senior and junior oncologist. Two hundred radiological reports pertaining to oncological patients were retrospectively selected of which 100 each were written by subspecialized radiologists and general radiologists, respectively.

Analysis of Sentinel Node Biopsy and Clinicopathologic Features as Prognostic Factors in Patients With Atypical Melanocytic Tumors.

Background: Atypical melanocytic tumors (AMTs) include a wide spectrum of melanocytic neoplasms that represent a challenge for clinicians due to the lack of a definitive diagnosis and the related uncertainty about their management. This study analyzed clinicopathologic features and sentinel node status as potential prognostic factors in patients with AMTs.

Patients And Methods: Clinicopathologic and follow-up data of 238 children, adolescents, and adults with histologically proved AMTs consecutively treated at 12 European centers from 2000 through 2010 were retrieved from prospectively maintained databases.

Factors Affecting Sentinel Node Metastasis in Thin (T1) Cutaneous Melanomas: Development and External Validation of a Predictive Nomogram.

Purpose: Thin melanomas (T1; ≤ 1 mm) constitute 70% of newly diagnosed cutaneous melanomas. Regional node metastasis determined by sentinel node biopsy (SNB) is an important prognostic factor for T1 melanoma. However, current melanoma guidelines do not provide clear indications on when to perform SNB in T1 disease and stress an individualized approach to SNB that considers all clinicopathologic risk factors.

Stent screw-assisted internal fixation (SAIF): clinical report of a novel approach to stabilizing and internally fixating vertebrae destroyed by malignancy.

Objective: Severe lytic cancerous lesions of the spine are associated with significant morbidity and treatment challenges. Stabilization and restoration of the axial load capability of the vertebral body (VB) are important to prevent or arrest vertebral collapse. Percutaneous stent screw-assisted internal fixation (SAIF), which anchors a VB stent/cement complex with pedicular screws to the posterior vertebral elements, is a minimally invasive, image-guided, 360° internal fixation technique that can be utilized in this patient cohort.

Immunotherapies and Future Combination Strategies for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and has a dismal prognosis. Nearly 10 years after the approval of cetuximab, anti-PD1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors are the first drugs that have shown any survival benefit for the treatment on platinum-refractory recurrent/metastatic (R/M) HNSCC. Furthermore, checkpoint inhibitors are better tolerated than chemotherapy.

F-FDG-PET/CT Imaging in Advanced Glottic Cancer: A Tool for Clinical Decision in Comparison with Conventional Imaging.

This study assessed the role of F-FDG PET-CT (PET/CT) to detect the cartilage and paraglottic infiltration in advanced glottic cancer comparing the results with those of conventional imaging (CI) (contrast-enhanced computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance). In addition, we assessed the prognostic value of quantitative parameters, measured on baseline PET/CT, in terms of event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). We retrospectively analyzed 27 patients with glottic squamous cell carcinoma stage III and IVA, treated in our institute between 2010 and 2016, comparing PET/CT, performed for staging and radiotherapy planning, and CI findings.

Comparison of contemporary staging systems for oropharynx cancer in a surgically treated multi-institutional cohort.

Background: Between the publication of the Union of International Cancer Control staging system (UICC) 7th and 8th editions, other staging algorithms for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) were proposed from Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), and Yale University.

Methods: With C-statistics, the above-mentioned five staging algorithms were compared for overall and relapse-free survival endpoints in a multi-institutional cohort of OPSCC cases (n = 338) treated with primary surgery.

Results: Pathological UICC 8th ed yielded the highest C-indexes in the entire cohort and in the HPV- subset, whereas MDACC was superior for HPV+ OPSCC.

Cost-effectiveness of nivolumab in the treatment of head and neck cancer.

Background: Until recently, no second-line treatment for recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer (r/mHNSCC) was able to improve overall survival (OS). Nivolumab has become a promising treatment for r/mHNSCC. The CheckMate-141 trial showed that nivolumab improves OS compared to investigator's choice (IC) (cetuximab, methotrexate, docetaxel).

Time to systemic treatment and prognosis in patients with recurrent and metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer.

Background: Delay of systemic treatment in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer (r/mHNSCC) has never been assessed. Whether time span to start systemic treatment affects survival and whether referral to a medical oncologist is important has not been explored.

Methods: We analyzed our head and neck database to assess the prognostic impact of time between diagnosis of r/mHNSCC and start of systemic treatment (time to treatment [TTT]).

Vertebral body stent augmentation to reconstruct the anterior column in neoplastic extreme osteolysis.

Background: Extensive lytic lesions of the vertebral body (VB) increase risk of fracture and instability and require stabilization of the anterior column. Vertebral augmentation is an accepted treatment option, but when osteolysis has extensively destroyed the VB cortical boundaries (a condition herein defined as 'extreme osteolysis'), the risk of cement leakage and/or insufficient filling is high. Vertebral body stents (VBSs) might allow partial restoration of VB height, cement containment, and reinforcement, but their use in extreme osteolysis has not been investigated.

Prolonged Versus Short-Duration Use of Nasogastric Tubes in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer During Radiotherapy Alone or Combined Chemoradiotherapy.

To compare safety and effectiveness of prolonged (>28 days) versus short duration (≤28 days) use of nasogastric tube for enteral nutrition and weight loss prevention during curative radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy or cetuximab for head and neck cancer patients. We performed a retrospective study and database review of all patients at our center, treated with radiotherapy for head and neck cancer receiving enteral nutrition by nasogastric tube. Type of treatment, weight and body mass index changes, and related complications (gastroesophageal reflux, pneumonia, ulcer, feeding tube obstruction, or dislocation) were documented.

Gene signatures and expression of miRNAs associated with efficacy of panitumumab in a head and neck cancer phase II trial.

Objective: Platinum-based chemotherapy plus the anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody (mAb) cetuximab is used to treat recurrent/metastatic (RM) head-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Recently, we defined Cluster3 gene-expression signature as a potential predictor of favorable progression-free survival (PFS) in cetuximab-treated RM-HNSCC patients and predictor of partial metabolic FDG-PET response in an afatinib window-of-opportunity trial. Another anti-EGFR-mAb (panitumumab) was used as the treatment agent in RM-HNSCC patients in the phase II PANI01trial.

Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube Is a Negative Prognostic Factor for Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer.

Background/aim: Recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer (r/mHNSCC) patients often need a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding tube (PEG). Among known prognostic factors, PEG could be prognostic as well.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed r/mHNSCC patients referred for systemic treatment.

Phase I study of sorafenib combined with radiation therapy and temozolomide as first-line treatment of high-grade glioma.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2014.