The co-occurrence of both breast- and differentiated thyroid cancer: incidence, association and clinical implications for daily practice.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) and differentiated thyroid cancer (TC) are two common cancer types with the highest incidence in women. BC and TC can develop synchronous or metachronous and the occurrence of both is higher than expected by chance. This study aimed to examine the association between BC and TC in the Netherlands.

Prognostic factors in acinic cell carcinoma of the head and neck: The Amsterdam experience.

Introduction: The aim was to analyse prognosticators in acinic cell carcinoma (AciCC) in two head and neck referral centers in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Materials And Methods: Eighty- nine cases of AciCC treated between 1979 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Five, - 10 -and 20- year estimates of survival were executed as well as univariate analysis of prognosticators.

Multiple versus solitary giant cell lesions of the jaw: Similar or distinct entities?

The majority of giant cell lesions of the jaw present as a solitary focus of disease in bones of the maxillofacial skeleton. Less frequently they occur as multifocal lesions. This raises the clinical dilemma if these should be considered distinct entities and therefore each need a specific therapeutic approach.

Complete response to talimogene laherparepvec in a primary acral lentiginous melanoma.

Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is an oncolytic virus, approved for the treatment of stage IIIb-IVM1a melanoma with injectable disease (cutaneous, subcutaneous or lymphatic). It is a modified herpes simplex virus type 1 that induces tumor-specific T-cell responses via reduction of virally mediated suppression of antigen presentation, stimulation of viral pathogenicity and enhancement of tumor-selective replication. Response rates up to 82.

Distinct Biomarker Profiles and Clinical Characteristics in T1-T2 Glottic and Supraglottic Carcinomas.

Background: In early stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) radiotherapy with curative intent is a major treatment modality. TNM classification is used to define patients eligible for radiotherapy. Studies in early stage glottic LSCC identified several predictive biomarkers associated with local control.

Phase Ib/II trial testing combined radiofrequency ablation and ipilimumab in uveal melanoma (SECIRA-UM).

Approximately, 50% of patients with uveal melanoma develop distant metastasis for which no standard therapy is established. In contrast to cutaneous melanoma, the anti-CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab showed no clinical activity in uveal melanoma. Liver directed therapies improve local control, but fail to show overall survival (OS) benefit.

Mapping of sentinel lymph node drainage using SPECT/CT to tailor elective nodal irradiation in head and neck cancer patients (SUSPECT-2): a single-center prospective trial.

Background: The majority of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) receive bilateral elective nodal irradiation (ENI), in order to reduce the risk of regional failure. Bilateral ENI, as compared to unilateral ENI, is associated with higher incidence of acute and late radiation-induced toxicity with subsequent deterioration of quality of life. Increasing evidence that the incidence of contralateral regional failure (cRF) in lateralized HNSCC is very low (< 10%) suggests that it can be justified to treat selected patients unilaterally.

Immuno-radiotherapy with cetuximab and avelumab for advanced stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Results from a phase-I trial.

Background And Purpose: Radiotherapy (RT) with cetuximab is an alternative for advanced-stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients who are unfit for cisplatin treatment. As 5-year overall survival is below 50%, it is of interest to test PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade (avelumab) with cetuximab-RT in the curative setting.

Materials And Methods: Phase-I feasibility trial (planned n = 10, NCT02938273) of conventional cetuximab-RT with avelumab (concurrent 10 mg/kg Q2W + 4 months maintenance) for advanced-stage HNSCC patients unfit for cisplatin treatment.

[A woman with persistent erythema on the chest].

A 74-year-old woman was referred to the dermatologist because of erythema on the chest which had not improved with topical corticosteroids. She had a medical history of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Pathologic assessment of two skin biopsies revealed cutaneous metastases from thyroid carcinoma.

PTEN Is Associated With Worse Local Control in Early Stage Supraglottic Laryngeal Cancer Treated With Radiotherapy.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish the prognostic value of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) expression on local control in patients with early stage supraglottic laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) treated with radiotherapy only.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods: Immunohistochemical staining for EGFR and PTEN was performed on pretreatment biopsies of a selected well-defined homogeneous group of 52 patients with T1-T2 supraglottic LSCC treated with radiotherapy between 1990 and 2008.

High podoplanin and low E-cadherin levels correlate with better prognosis in adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Objectives: As tumour spread is a complicating event for malignant salivary gland tumours, we decided to study factors related to cell adhesion and lymph vessel formation in two of the three most common malignant salivary gland tumours, mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) and adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), to clarify the clinical relevance and potential usefulness of these factors. We also included a group of polymorphous adenocarcinoma (PAC) as this tumour, in common with ACC often shows perineural growth, but in contrast to ACC has an overall good prognosis.

Material And Methods: Eighteen patients with ACC, 15 with MEC, and six with PAC were included.

Phosphorylated FADD is not prognostic for local control in T1-T2 supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma treated with radiotherapy.

Objective: The Fas-Associated Death Domain (FADD) gene is located in the chromosome 11q13-region and frequently is amplified in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Expression of FADD and its phosphorylated isoform (pFADD) have been associated with aggressive tumor growth, lymph node metastasis, and overall survival. Previously, we demonstrated that pFADD expression was related to a significantly improved local control in early stage (tumor [T]1 to T2) glottic laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC).

Assessment of hypoxic subvolumes in laryngeal cancer with (18)F-fluoroazomycinarabinoside ((18)F-FAZA)-PET/CT scanning and immunohistochemistry.

Background And Purpose: (18)F-fluoroazomycinarabinoside ((18)F-FAZA) is a promising hypoxia radiopharmaceutical agent with outstanding biokinetic parameters. We aimed to determine the accuracy of (18)F-FAZA-PET/CT scan in detecting hypoxic regions within the tumor using immunohistochemical markers in a pilot study.

Patients And Methods: Eleven patients with primary or recurrent laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were indicated for total laryngectomy (TLE).

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas do not express EGFRvIII.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of EGFRvIII, a specific variant of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), in 3 well-defined cohorts of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods And Materials: Immunohistochemistry for the specific detection of EGFRvIII using the L8A4 antibody was optimized on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue using glioblastoma tissue. It was compared with EGFR and EGFRvIII RNA expression using a specific reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction also optimized for formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue.

Chromosome instability predicts progression of premalignant lesions of the larynx.

The histopathology of premalignant laryngeal lesions does not provide reliable information on the risk of malignant transformation, hence we examined new molecular markers which can easily be implemented in clinical practice. Dual-target fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) for chromosome 1 and 7 centromeres was performed on tissue sections of laryngeal premalignancies in 69 patients. Chromosome instability was indicated by numerical imbalances and/or polysomy for chromosomes 1 and 7.

Prognostic significance of HIF-1a, CA-IX, and OPN in T1-T2 laryngeal carcinoma treated with radiotherapy.

Objectives/hypothesis: To examine the prognostic value of hypoxia inducible factor HIF-1a, CA-IX, and OPN on clinical outcome in patients with T1-T2 supraglottic laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) treated with primarily radiotherapy (RT).

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods: Tumor tissue sections of 60 patients with T1-T2 supraglottic LSCC treated with primarily radiotherapy were assessed immunohistochemically for expression of HIF-1a, CA-IX, and OPN.

RET/PTC rearrangement is prevalent in follicular Hürthle cell carcinomas.

Aims: The molecular alterations underlying follicular Hürthle cell carcinomas (FHCCs) are largely unknown. In an attempt to clarify this issue, we analysed a series of Hürthle cell tumours for the presence of RET/PTC and PAX8/PPARG rearrangements and BRAF, HRAS and NRAS mutations.

Methods And Results: We investigated a series of 20 follicular Hürthle cell tumours [17 FHCCs and three follicular Hürthle cell adenomas (FHCAs)].

The periodontium of periodontitis patients contains citrullinated proteins which may play a role in ACPA (anti-citrullinated protein antibody) formation.

Aim: To determine the presence and location (stroma versus epithelium) of citrullinated proteins in periodontitis tissue as compared to non-periodontitis tissue and synovial tissue of RA patients.

Materials & Methods: Periodontitis, healthy periodontal and RA-affected synovial tissue samples were collected in addition to buccal swabs. These samples were stained for the presence of citrullinated proteins using polyclonal (Ab5612) and monoclonal (F95) antibodies.

FADD expression as a prognosticator in early-stage glottic squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx treated primarily with radiotherapy.

Purpose: We recently reported on the identification of the Fas-associated death domain (FADD) as a possible driver of the chromosome 11q13 amplicon and the association between increased FADD expression and disease-specific survival in advanced-stage laryngeal carcinoma. The aim of this study was to examine whether expression of FADD and its Ser194-phosphorylated isoform (pFADD) predicts local control in patients with early-stage glottic carcinoma primarily treated with radiotherapy only.

Methods And Materials: Immunohistochemical staining for FADD and pFADD was performed on pretreatment biopsy specimens of 92 patients with T1-T2 glottic squamous cell carcinoma primarily treated with radiotherapy between 1996 and 2005.

Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma with special reference to the prognostic significance of histological progression: a clinicopathological investigation of 41 cases.

Aims: To investigate a large series of cases of carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (CEPA) to determine prognostic factors.

Methods And Results: Thirty cases of CEPA associated with primary pleomorphic adenoma (PA) and 11 cases of CEPA associated with recurrent PA were investigated. The median follow-up was 57.

CD44 expression predicts local recurrence after radiotherapy in larynx cancer.

Purpose: To find molecular markers from expression profiling data to predict recurrence of laryngeal cancer after radiotherapy.

Experimental Design: We generated gene expression data on pre-treatment biopsies from 52 larynx cancer patients. Patients developing a local recurrence were matched for T-stage, subsite, treatment, gender and age with non-recurrence patients.

Regulation of vitamin D receptor function in MEN1-related parathyroid adenomas.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is a heriditary syndrome characterised by the occurrence of parathyroid, gastroenteropancreatic and pituitary tumours. The MEN1 gene product, menin, co-activates gene transcription by recruiting histone methyltransferases for lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4). We investigated whether in MEN1 tumours global changes in H3K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) occur or whether alterations in gene expression can be observed.

Detection of cervical metastases with (11)C-tyrosine PET in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx: A comparison with (18)F-FDG PET.

Background: A disadvantage of 2-[(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in head and neck cancer is that (18)F-FDG uptake is not specific to malignant tissue. To provide an alternative, radiolabeled amino acids such as L-1-[(11)C]-tyrosine ((11)C-TYR), were introduced because these are less avidly metabolized by inflammatory cells.

Methods: In this prospective study, we compared both (11)C-TYR PET and (18)F-FDG PET performance in detecting cervical metastases in 27 patients with a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of oral cavity or oropharynx.