Long-term functional and quality of life evaluation after treatment for advanced pharyngolaryngeal carcinoma.

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare total laryngectomy versus concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for functional and long-term quality of life (QOL) outcomes in patients with pharyngolaryngeal carcinoma.

Methods: Among 145 patients treated for advanced pharyngolaryngeal cancer by CRT or total laryngectomy between 2000 and 2008, 47 patients who had completed treatment for >1 year and were determined to be disease-free were evaluated for function and QOL using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30-questions (EORTC-QLQ-C30).

Results: No significant difference was observed between the total laryngectomy group (26 patients) and the CRT group (21 patients) concerning feeding tube (p = .

Occult lymph node metastases increase locoregional recurrence in differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

Objectives: The impact of occult lymph node metastasis (OLNM) on locoregional recurrence (LRR) and survival in patients with NO differentiated thyroid carcinoma is unclear, because no large study has been carried out. A retrospective study was conducted in our department to assess the influence of OLNM.

Methods: We included 201 patients treated by prophylactic neck dissection for NO differentiated thyroid carcinoma between 1974 and 2006.

Good practice guide for cervical ultrasound scan and echo-guided techniques in treating differentiated thyroid cancer of vesicular origin.

Good practice guide for cervical ultrasound scan and echo-guided techniques in treating differentiated thyroid cancer of vesicular origin. American, European and French Recommendations for the treatment of differentiated vesicular thyroid cancer were recently published. Cervical ultrasound scanning is now considered a key examination in the follow-up of these cancers.