Diversity in U.S. Clinical Trials for Head and Neck Cancer: Are We Improving?

Background: This study assesses whether national initiatives undertaken to improve diversity in clinical trial enrollment have been successful within head and neck cancer (HNC) trials.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of HNC trials published on clinicaltrials.gov with start dates between 2000 and 2023.

Perspectives on Referral Pathways for Timely Head and Neck Cancer Care.

Importance: Timely diagnosis and treatment are of paramount importance for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) because delays are associated with reduced survival rates and increased recurrence risk. Prompt referral to HNC specialists is crucial for the timeliness of care, yet the factors that affect the referral and triage pathway remain relatively unexplored. Therefore, to identify barriers and facilitators of timely care, it is important to understand the complex journey that patients undertake from the onset of HNC symptoms to referral for diagnosis and treatment.

Gender Bias in Artificial Intelligence-Written Letters of Reference.

Objective: Letters of reference (LORs) play an important role in postgraduate residency applications. Human-written LORs have been shown to carry implicit gender bias, such as using more agentic versus communal words for men, and more frequent doubt-raisers and references to appearance and personal life for women. This can result in inequitable access to residency opportunities for women.

Portrait of a Surgeon: Artificial Intelligence Reflections.

Text-to-image artificial intelligence (AI) programs are popular public-facing tools that generate novel images based on user prompts. Given that they are trained from Internet data, they may reflect societal biases, as has been shown for text-to-text large language model programs. We sought to investigate whether 3 common text-to-image AI systems recapitulated stereotypes held about surgeons and other health care professionals.

Oncologic Safety of Close Margins in Patients With Low- to Intermediate-Grade Major Salivary Gland Carcinoma.

Importance: Postoperative radiation therapy for close surgical margins in low- to intermediate-grade salivary carcinomas lacks multi-institutional supportive evidence.

Objective: To evaluate the oncologic outcomes for low- and intermediate-grade salivary carcinomas with close and positive margins.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The American Head and Neck Society Salivary Gland Section conducted a retrospective cohort study from 2010 to 2019 at 41 centers.

Personal Social Networks and Care-Seeking for Head and Neck Cancer: A Qualitative Study.

Objectives: To investigate the role of patients' personal social networks (SNs) in accessing head and neck cancer (HNC) care through patients' and health care workers' (HCWs) perspectives.

Study Design: Qualitative study.

Setting: Tertiary HNC centers at 2 academic medical centers, including 1 safety net hospital.

Deciphering Knowledge and Opinions of Human Papillomavirus and Human Papillomavirus Vaccination for Facilitation of Point-of-Care Vaccination in Adults.

Importance: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates remain significantly below rates for other common childhood vaccines, which has implications for future rates of HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).

Objective: To assess whether individuals who were aware of the association between HPV and OPSCC would be more likely to have been previously vaccinated.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This survey study included patients aged 18 to 45 years who sought routine outpatient care at the otolaryngology clinic at Boston Medical Center from September 1, 2020, to May 19, 2021.

Historical Review and Modern Case of Spontaneous Laryngeal Abscess.

Objective: Laryngeal abscesses are rare in the modern antibiotic era. Historically, they were associated with systemic infections including typhoid fever, measles, gonorrhea, syphilis, and tuberculosis. More recent authors have described cases resulting from iatrogenic injury and immunosuppression.

Limited English proficiency and head and neck cancer outcomes.

Purpose: Limited English proficiency (LEP) is common among hospitalized patients and may impact clinical care and outcomes. This study aimed to examine the relationship between LEP and clinical oncological outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC).

Materials And Methods: A single center retrospective review was conducted including adult patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck who received treatment with curative intent between January 1, 2014 and July 1, 2019.

Social determinants of health and treatment decisions in head and neck cancer.

Background: This study compares select social determinants of health (SDOH) with treatment modality selection and treatment completion in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients, to better understand disparities in health outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of HNC (n = 1428) patients was conducted. Demographic and disease-specific variables were recorded, including treatment modality selection and completion.

Major Salivary Gland Cancer With Distant Metastasis Upon Presentation: Patterns, Outcomes, and Imaging Implications.

Objectives: Given limited data availability on distant metastasis (DM) in major salivary gland (MSG) malignancy presentation, we aimed to evaluate the rate, histologic patterns, location, and predictors of DM at first MSG cancer presentation and suggest potential implications on diagnostic workup.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Setting: Commission on Cancer-accredited hospitals.

Geographic Barriers Affect Follow-Up Care in Head and Neck Cancer.

Objectives/hypothesis: Follow-up care in head and neck cancers (HNC) is critical in managing patient health. However, social determinants of health (SDOH) can create difficulties in maintaining follow-up care. The study goal is to explore how SDOH impacts maintenance of HNC follow-up care appointments.

The effect of a statewide prescription drug monitoring program on opioid prescribing patterns.

Purpose: Determine whether opioid prescribing patterns have changed as a result of implementation of a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) in the state of Massachusetts.

Materials And Methods: A multicentered retrospective study was performed including patients who received tonsillectomy, parotidectomy, thyroidectomy or direct laryngoscopy and biopsy with or without rigid esophagoscopy and/or rigid bronchoscopy at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center (Burlington, MA) or Boston Medical Center (Boston, MA). Opioid prescribing patterns were compared for the 12 months prior to implementation of the Massachusetts Prescription Awareness Tool (MassPAT) to 36 months of prescribing patterns post implementation.

Long-Term Opioid Use in Post-Surgical Management of Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.

Objective: This study aims to identify clinical and socioeconomic factors associated with long-term, post-surgical opioid use in the head and neck cancer population.

Methods: A single center retrospective study was conducted including patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer between January 1, 2014 and July 1, 2019 who underwent primary surgical management. The primary outcome measure was continued opioid use 6 months after treatment completion.

Changes in Care Provision During COVID-19 Impact Patient Well-Being.

The fast onset and extensive impact of COVID-19 necessitated strict public health measures and temporary diversion of personnel and resources from other types of medical care. This study examined the prevalence of such disruptions and their impacts on patient-perceived well-being using an untargeted survey. The majority of surveyed patients experienced changes in their routine medical care.

To ban or not to ban tanning bed use for minors: A cost-effectiveness analysis from multiple US perspectives for invasive melanoma.

Background: Tanning bed use is common among US adolescents, but is associated with increased melanoma risk. The decision to ban tanning bed use by adolescents should be made in consideration of the potential health benefits and costs.

Methods: The US population aged 14 to 17 years was modeled by microsimulation, which compared ban versus no ban strategies.

Anesthesia screen use may impact operating room communication practices in otolaryngology.

Objectives: Failures in communication are a leading contributor to medical error. There is increasing attention on cultivating robust communication practices in the Operating Room (OR) to mitigate against patient injury and optimize efficient patient care. Few studies have evaluated how surgical equipment may introduce barriers to team dynamics.

The Impact of MassPAT on Opioid Prescribing Patterns for Otolaryngology Surgeries.

Objective: Determine whether opioid prescriber patterns have changed for tonsillectomy, parotidectomy, and thyroidectomy after implementation of the Massachusetts Prescription Awareness Tool (MassPAT).

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Single-center tertiary care hospital.

Review of probiotic use in otolaryngology.

Objective: Probiotics have garnered considerable attention as an intervention for various conditions common to otolaryngology. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the current literature to offer recommendations about the safety and efficacy of probiotic management in otolaryngologic conditions.

Study Design: Narrative review.

The role of vitamin D in head and neck cancer.

Objective: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) describes a set of malignancies of the head and neck that continue to inflict considerable morbidity and mortality. Because HNSCC often presents at an advanced stage, patients frequently undergo intensive multi-modal therapy with an intent to cure. Vitamin D is a precursor to the biologically active hormone calcitriol which governs bone and calcium physiology that is obtained from diet and UV-B exposure.

Multispecialty surgical management of carotid body tumors in the modern era.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the perioperative and long-term outcomes of carotid body tumor (CBT) resection with a multispecialty (head and neck surgery/vascular surgery) approach.

Methods: Our institutional data registry was queried for Current Procedural Terminology codes (60600, 60605) pertaining to CBT excision. These patient records and operative reports were individually reviewed to determine laterality, preoperative tumor embolization, operative time, estimated blood loss, need for intraoperative transfusion, intraoperative electroencephalogram changes, intraoperative division of the external carotid artery, carotid artery repair, resection of the carotid bifurcation, tumor volume, final pathology, cranial nerve injury, stroke, death, and clinical or radiographic evidence of recurrence.

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Larynx: A SEER Database Review.

Background: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) of the larynx is an uncommon malignancy of the head and neck with very little literature discussing treatment paradigms and prognostic factors influencing survival.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study uses data obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result database comprising of patients diagnosed with laryngeal AdCC from 1978 to 2016.

Results: A total of 89 records were analyzed.

Pediatric laryngeal sarcoma: Systematic review and pooled analysis.

Background: Sarcomas are a rare, diverse tumor class of mesenchymal origin affecting all age groups. Survival after diagnosis is influenced by disease site. To date, there are no analyses evaluating treatment of pediatric sarcoma within the larynx specifically.

Choice of imaging modality for pre-treatment staging of head and neck cancer impacts TNM staging.

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to determine whether there is a difference in the sensitivity of chest computed tomography (CT) versus F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with low-dose nonenhanced CT (F-FDG PET/CT or PET/CT) in the detection of distant metastases in head and neck cancer, within a tertiary care setting.

Materials And Methods: Patients with head and neck cancer, and known distant metastases, who underwent both F-FDG PET/CT with integrated low-dose nonenhanced CT and diagnostic chest CT prior to initiation of therapy from 2008 to 2017 were included. Two head and neck radiologists, blinded to all patient information and to each other's readings, reviewed the PET/CT or CT chest images for each patient and identified whether distant metastases were present.