Sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma with yolk sac elements: a neoplasm of somatic or germ cell origin?

Sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma is an uncommon, aggressive, morphologically heterogenous tumor composed of cells derived from the 3 somatic layers. A histogenetic origin from a multipotential adult somatic stem cell with divergent differentiation has been favored over a germ cell origin. This assumption has been based on the lack of germ cell elements and, until recently, the absence of demonstrable amplification of 12p.

Return of vocal cord movement: an independent predictor of response to nonsurgical management of laryngeal cancers.

Objective: To determine whether return of vocal cord function after treatment of T2b/T3 laryngeal carcinoma is an independent prognostic factor for locoregional recurrence.

Study Design: A retrospective review of patients treated with radiation +/- chemotherapy between 2000 and 2005 for T2 with vocal cord paresis and T3 laryngeal carcinoma was conducted.

Methods: Only those patients obtained from the tumor registry with pre-and posttreatment video stroboscopies were included.