Association Between Environmental Air Pollution and Thyroid Cancer and Nodules: A Systematic Review.

The global incidence of thyroid cancer has increased over the past several decades. While this increase is partially due to increased detection, environmental pollutants have also emerged as a possible contributing factor. Our goal was to perform a systematic review to assess the relationship between environmental air pollution and thyroid cancer.

A Randomized Pilot Trial of Virtual Reality Surgical Planning for Head and Neck Oncologic Resection.

Objective: Application of virtual reality (VR) for surgical planning may improve clinical outcomes for head and neck cancer (HNC) resection. There is a lack of randomized trials and meaningful metrics to assess such technological applications. Our objective was to evaluate the feasibility of a VR protocol for oncologic surgical planning and assess the impact on surgical outcomes.

Financial Toxicity Screening Preferences in Patients With Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Financial toxicity is an important issue in cancer that affects quality of life and treatment adherence. Screening can identify patients at risk but consensus on appropriate timing or methods is lacking.

Methods: We sent an anonymous survey to e-mail subscribers of a nationwide breast cancer-specific philanthropic organization in July 2023 asking about financial toxicity screening preferences.

Lower survival for surgical treatment of HPV-related oropharynx cancer at community cancer centers.

Background: The rate of primary surgery for human papillomavirus-related oropharynx cancer (HPVOPC) has recently declined, while utilization of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has lagged at community cancer centers (CCs). We hypothesize that differences in overall survival (OS) exist between patients undergoing surgery for HPVOPC at CCs and low (<15 TORS/year; LVACs) and high (≥15 TORS/year; HVACS) TORS volume academic centers.

Methods: Cases from the US National Cancer Database with a diagnosis of HPVOPC from 2010-2019 that underwent primary surgical treatment were included.

Readability of Patient Education Materials in Head and Neck Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Patient education materials (PEMs) can promote patient engagement, satisfaction, and treatment adherence. The American Medical Association recommends that PEMs be developed for a sixth-grade or lower reading level. Health literacy (HL) refers to an individual's ability to seek, understand, and use health information to make appropriate decisions regarding their health.

Degrees of Inflammation in the Treatment of Subglottic Stenosis in a Rabbit Model: Histopathological Assessment of a Novel Bioabsorbable Ultra-high Ductility Magnesium Alloy Stent.

Objective: Utilizing a novel histopathological scoring system and subglottic stenosis (SGS) rabbit model, we aimed to compare degrees of inflammation and severity of narrowing in the subglottis between two minimally invasive therapeutic modalities: endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) alone versus EBD with placement of a bioabsorbable ultra-high ductility magnesium (UHD-Mg) alloy stent.

Methods: SGS was induced endoscopically via microsuspension laryngoscopy in 23 New Zealand white rabbits. The control group (n = 11) underwent EBD alone, the study arm (n = 12) underwent EBD with implantation of bioabsorbable UHD-Mg alloy stents.

Screening for Financial Toxicity Among Patients With Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Despite the pervasiveness and adverse impacts of financial toxicity (FT) in cancer care, there are no definitive measures for FT screening that have been widely integrated into clinical practice. The aim of this review is to evaluate current methods of assessing FT among patients with cancer and confirm factors associated with higher risk of FT.

Methods: A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines.

Autonomous System for Tumor Resection (ASTR) - Dual-Arm Robotic Midline Partial Glossectomy.

Head and neck cancers are the seventh most common cancers worldwide, with squamous cell carcinoma being the most prevalent histologic subtype. Surgical resection is a primary treatment modality for many patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and accurately identifying tumor boundaries and ensuring sufficient resection margins are critical for optimizing oncologic outcomes. This study presents an innovative autonomous system for tumor resection (ASTR) and conducts a feasibility study by performing supervised autonomous midline partial glossectomy for pseudotumor with millimeter accuracy.

Effects of socioeconomic status on enrollment in clinical trials for cancer: A systematic review.

Background: To achieve equitable access to cancer clinical trials (CCTs), patients must overcome structural, clinical, and attitudinal barriers to trial enrollment. The goal of this systematic review was to study the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), assessed either by direct or proxy measures, and CCT enrollment.

Methods: The review team and medical librarian developed search strategies for each database to identify studies for this systematic review, which was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines.

Increasing radiation therapy and lower survival for human papillomavirus-related oropharynx cancer associated with a shift to community cancer center care.

Background: Studies have shown lower overall survival for patients with head and neck cancer treated at low-volume or community cancer centers. As the incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma steadily rises in the United States, we hypothesized that a greater proportion of patients with HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is being treated at community cancer centers, with a shift toward primary nonsurgical treatment.

Methods: This cohort study included patients from the US National Cancer Database who received a diagnosis of HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma from 2010 to 2019 and underwent treatment at a community cancer center or academic cancer center.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for head and neck malignancies utilizing simultaneous radioisotope gamma probe and indocyanine green fluorescence navigation.

We depict an innovative surgical approach for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in head and neck malignancies that utilizes both near-infrared (NIR) imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) dye and hand-held gamma probe intraoperatively to isolate and excise SLNs. Twenty-one patients presented to our institution with cutaneous melanoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and oral cavity SCC tumors that met criteria for SLNB based on tumor depth and histology. The video offers a step-by-step approach for this technique along with descriptions of recommended equipment.

CIC-DUX4 Sarcoma Involving the Skull Base: A Rare Presentation and Review of the Literature.

 CIC-DUX4 sarcoma is a rare, aggressive tumor that is difficult to diagnose. Although it is closely related to Ewing's sarcoma, each is a distinct pathologic entity and both have been previously reported in the skin, lymph nodes, and viscera. We report the first description of CIC-DUX4 involving the posterior cranial fossa and review the distinctive symptomatology, morphology, immunoprofile, and genetic signature that differentiate this rare tumor.

Subjective and Objective Hearing Loss Among US Adult Cancer Survivors.

Importance: Cancer survivors are at a higher risk of developing hearing loss (HL) due to older age, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, the prevalence of HL among US cancer survivors remains unknown. Additionally, there is a lack of uniform HL screening guidelines for this enlarging population.

Perioperative opioids and survival outcomes in resectable head and neck cancer: A systematic review.

Background: Opioids are a mainstay in pain control for oncologic surgery. The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the associations of perioperative opioid use with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with resectable head and neck cancer (HNC).

Methods: A systematic review of PubMed, SCOPUS, and CINAHL between 2000 and 2022 was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Exploring Olfactory Dysfunction as a Marker of Frailty and Postoperative Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer.

Importance: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is increasingly recognized as a robust marker of frailty and mortality. Despite broad recognition of frailty as a critical component of head and neck cancer (HNC) care, there is no standardized frailty assessment.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of OD and its association with frailty and postoperative outcomes in HNC.

Role of Coactivator Associated Arginine Methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) in the Regulation of the Biological Function of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)D), the hormonally active form of vitamin D, activates the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) to mediate the transcription of target genes involved in calcium homeostasis as well as in non-classical 1,25(OH)D actions. In this study, CARM1, an arginine methyltransferase, was found to mediate coactivator synergy in the presence of GRIP1 (a primary coactivator) and to cooperate with G9a, a lysine methyltransferase, in 1,25(OH)D induced transcription of (the gene involved in the metabolic inactivation of 1,25(OH)D). In mouse proximal renal tubule (MPCT) cells and in mouse kidney, chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that dimethylation of histone H3 at arginine 17, which is mediated by CARM1, occurs at vitamin D response elements in a 1,25(OH)D dependent manner.

Pediatric Tracheostomy Safety: Implementation of an Airway Safety Placard.

Background: First health care professionals arriving at the bedside in tracheostomy-related emergencies are rarely the surgical subspecialists who placed the tracheostomy and are unfamiliar with the relevant anatomy and tracheostomy specifications for the individual patient. We hypothesized that implementing a bedside airway safety placard would increase caregiver confidence, understanding of airway anatomy, and management of patients with a tracheostomy.

Methods: A prospective survey study was performed by distributing a tracheostomy airway safety survey before and after implementation of an airway safety placard in a 6-month study period.

Changes in otolaryngology application requirements and match outcomes: Are we doing any better?

Objectives: Otolaryngology-specific requirements were piloted to minimize applicant and program burdens. We investigated the impact of introducing and then removing these requirements on Match outcomes.

Methods: 2014-2021 National Resident Matching Program® data were examined.

Evaluating the impact of hemodynamic support measures on head and neck free tissue transfer outcomes: A population-based analysis.

Objectives: This study sought to analyze the effects of perioperative blood transfusions and vasopressors on 30-day surgical complications and 1-year mortality after reconstructive surgery in head and neck free tissue transfer (FTT) and to identify predictors of administration of perioperative blood transfusions or vasopressors.

Materials And Methods: TriNetX (TriNetX LLC, Cambridge, USA), an international population-level electronic health record database, was queried to identify subjects that underwent FTT requiring perioperative (intraoperative to postoperative day 7) vasopressors or blood transfusions. Primary dependent variables were 30-day surgical complications and 1-year mortality.

Longitudinal Analysis of Caregiver Burden in Head and Neck Cancer.

Importance: Despite the critical role of caregivers in head and neck cancer (HNC), there is limited literature on caregiver burden (CGB) and its evolution over treatment. Research is needed to address evidence gaps that exist in understanding the causal pathways between caregiving and treatment outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of and identify risk factors for CGB in HNC survivorship.

CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Growing Vestibular Schwannoma: Longitudinal Tumor Control, Hearing Outcomes, and Predicting Post-Treatment Hearing Status.

Objectives: (1) To determine tumor control rates for treating growing vestibular schwannoma (VS) with CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery (CK SRS); (2) to determine hearing outcomes after CK SRS; (3) to propose a set of variables that could be used to predict hearing outcomes for patients receiving CK SRS for VS.

Study Design: Retrospective case series review.

Methods: 127 patients who received CK SRS for radiographically documented growing VS were reviewed.

Gender Differences Among Head and Neck Microvascular Reconstructive Surgeons.

Objective: To determine whether gender differences exist in the training history, practice patterns, and home lives of surgeons who perform microvascular reconstruction of the head and neck.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Medical facilities that employ surgeons who practice head and neck microvascular reconstruction in the United States.

Prognosis.

Prognosis is defined as the likely outcome or course of a disease and is the result of a complex interplay between patient and tumor factors. Unfortunately, the prognosis of patients with laryngeal cancer has not changed significantly over the past several decades. However, as our understanding of these patient and tumor factors becomes more nuanced and the resulting treatment options become more precise, there is the potential to improve the prognosis for these patients.