Efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment for head and neck mucosal melanoma recurrence in patients treated with carbon-ion radiotherapy.

Background: Carbon-ion radiotherapy (C-ion RT) is effective for head and neck mucosal melanoma (HN-MM), including radioresistant mucosal melanoma. Melanoma also responds effectively to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Data on the efficacy and safety of ICIs for HN-MM are insufficient.

The Efficacy of Radiotherapy without Surgery for External Auditory Canal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

External auditory canal (EAC) cancer is a rare disease for which there are no adequate evidence-based treatment strategies. Radiotherapy is often used as the initial treatment to preserve the organ. This study aimed to elucidate the efficacy of radiotherapy for EAC squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Carbon-ion Radiotherapy for Inoperable Head and Neck Bone and Soft-tissue Sarcoma: Prospective Observational Study.

Background/aim: Bone and soft-tissue sarcomas of the head and neck have very poor prognoses. This prospective study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of carbon-ion radiotherapy (C-ion RT) for bone and soft-tissue sarcoma of the head and neck.

Patients And Methods: The present study was a prospective clinical study that included 10 consecutive patients diagnosed with bone and soft-tissue sarcoma of the head and neck who were treated with C-ion RT between 2012 and 2018 at our institution.

Dynamic alterations of circulating T lymphocytes and the clinical response in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with nivolumab.

Cancer immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has been recognized as a novel therapeutic option for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, only approximately 20-30% of patients with recurrent/metastatic (R/M) HNSCC benefit. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying the response to ICIs remain unclear.

Molecular phenotypes of circulating tumor cells and efficacy of nivolumab treatment in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

The emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized the treatment of recurrent/metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Biomarkers of the therapeutic efficacy of ICIs have been extensively investigated. In this study, we aimed to analyze whether molecular phenotypes of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are associated with treatment responses and clinical outcomes in patients with R/M HNSCC treated with nivolumab.

Two Different Tracts and Origin of Pyriform Sinus Fistula.

Objective: Suppurative acute thyroiditis is caused by pyriform sinus fistula (PSF), and PSF frequently elicits deep neck abscess. However, complete fistulectomy is the ideal management of PSF, and studies on surgical findings of PSF are exceedingly rare. This study aimed to reveal the origins of PSF, each route, and clinical presentation.

Molecular profiling of circulating tumor cells predicts clinical outcome in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Objectives: The relationship between the molecular profiling of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and clinical factors is a challenge. In this study, we performed molecular detection and characterization of CTCs in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Materials And Methods: CTCs captured by microfilter were analyzed for the expression of multiple epithelial markers (EPCAM, MET, KRT19, and EGFR) by RT-qPCR.

Carbon-ion radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy for head and neck mucosal melanoma: Prospective observational study.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of carbon-ion radiotherapy in combination with chemotherapy using dacarbazine, nimustine, and vincristine (DAV therapy) in mucosal melanoma. Twenty-one patients with clinically localized mucosal melanoma of the head and neck were enrolled. The primary endpoint was 3-year overall survival (OS).

Expression of immune-regulatory molecules in circulating tumor cells derived from patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Objectives: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells that have shed from tumor tissue into the bloodstream, and the detection and characterization of CTCs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) still remain a challenge.

Materials And Methods: CTCs were isolated from 30 patients with HNSCC with recurrent and/or distant metastasis, via the depletion of CD45-positive cells with magnetic beads and the expression of multiple epithelial markers (CK19, EpCAM, EGFR, and c-Met) was analyzed by RT-qPCR with a low concentration of RNA from the CTC population. We next investigated the expression of the immune-regulatory molecules, PD-L1, PD-L2, and CD47, in CTC-positive patients and the PD-L1 expression in CTCs was compared with that in tumor tissues.

Prospective observational study of carbon-ion radiotherapy for non-squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of carbon-ion radiotherapy for non-squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, 35 patients were enrolled in this prospective study. The primary end-point was the 3-year local control rate, and the secondary end-points included the 3-year overall survival rate and adverse events. Acute and late adverse events were evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with conventional fractionated radiotherapy and low-dose daily cisplatin plus weekly docetaxel for T2N0 glottic cancer.

Background: To assess the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with daily low-dose cisplatin (CDDP) plus weekly docetaxel (DTX) for patients with T2N0 glottic cancer.

Methods: Between January 2004 and December 2013, 62 treatment-naive patients with histologically proven T2N0 glottic cancer were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Radiation therapy (RT; 2 Gy daily fractions up to a total dose of 66 Gy) was administered in combination with daily low-dose CDDP (6 mg/m, five times a week), plus weekly DTX (10 mg/m) for up to 4 weeks from the commencement of RT.

SMCHD1 mutations associated with a rare muscular dystrophy can also cause isolated arhinia and Bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome.

Arhinia, or absence of the nose, is a rare malformation of unknown etiology that is often accompanied by ocular and reproductive defects. Sequencing of 40 people with arhinia revealed that 84% of probands harbor a missense mutation localized to a constrained region of SMCHD1 encompassing the ATPase domain. SMCHD1 mutations cause facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy type 2 (FSHD2) via a trans-acting loss-of-function epigenetic mechanism.

Clinical Outcomes of Definitive and Postoperative Radiotherapy for Stage I-IVB Hypopharyngeal Cancer.

Background: Hypopharyngeal cancer is relatively rare disease and continues to have a poor prognosis. This study analyzed the efficacy and safety of radiotherapy for stage I-IVB hypopharyngeal cancer.

Patients And Methods: Between 2000 and 2015, 72 patients were treated with definitive radiotherapy and 29 patients with stage IVA were treated with postoperative radiotherapy.

Impact of a Multidisciplinary Round Visit for the Management of Dysphagia Utilizing a Wi-Fi-Based Wireless Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing.

Objectives: The management of dysphagia requires a multidisciplinary approach, especially in large-scale hospitals. We introduce a novel protocol using a Wi-Fi-based flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) system and aim to verify its effectiveness in evaluation and rehabilitation of inpatients with dysphagia.

Method: We conducted novel Wi-Fi-based FEES at the bedside using 3 iPads as monitors and recorders.

[Sequential Chemoradiotherapy for Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: A Clinical Study with 33 Cases].

A total of 33 patients with advanced head and neck cancer (AHNC) treated with sequential chemoradiotherapy (SCRT) were retrospectively evaluated at Gunma University Hospital between 2009 and 2011. The regimen of SCRT was docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (TPF)-based induction chemotherapy (ICT), accompanied by docetaxel and cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), and oral administration of TS-1 after that. The response rate was 61%, the 3-year overall survival rate was 42%, the non-tumor-bearing survival rate was 27%, and the tumor-bearing survival rate was 15%.

Oxygen-glucose deprivation increases firing of unipolar brush cells and enhances spontaneous EPSCs in Purkinje cells in the vestibulo-cerebellum.

Unipolar brush cells (UBCs) are excitatory interneurons in the granular layer of the cerebellar cortex, which are predominantly distributed in the vestibulo-cerebellar region. The unique firing properties and synaptic connections of UBCs may underlie lobular heterogeneity of excitability in the granular layer and the susceptibility to ischemia-induced excitotoxicity. In this study, we investigated the effects of oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) on the firing properties of UBCs and granule cells and spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) of Purkinje cells using whole-cell recordings.

Expression of ER stress markers (GRP78/BiP and PERK) in adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Conclusion: A high GRP78/BiP expression was proved to be a significant marker for predicting poor outcome after surgery. GRP78/BiP may be a promising molecular target for treatment of ACC.

Background: The glucose-regulated protein GRP78/BiP plays a crucial role in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.

[Prediction of Post-operative Lymph Node Metastasis with a Molecular Biological Test in Head and Neck Cancer].

We assessed herein the post-operative lymph node metastasis in head and neck cancer, using the One-step nucleotide amplification (OSNA) method targeting matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP-7). Compared with the pathological test, the molecular biological test revealed more lymph node metastasis, resulting in poor prognosis. Six cases, of which the number of lymph node metastasis was the same between pathological and molecular biological test, survived.

Expression of Amino Acid Transporters (LAT1 and ASCT2) in Patients with Stage III/IV Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinicopathological significance of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) expression in patients with advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). A total of 73 patients with advanced LSCC were retrospectively reviewed. Tumor sections were stained by immunohistochemistry for LAT1, 4F2hc, system ASC amino acid transporter-2 (ASCT2), cell proliferation by Ki-67, microvessel density (MVD) determined by CD34 and p53.

A case of pyriform sinus fistula infection with double tracts.

Pyriform sinus fistula is a rare clinical entity and the precise origin remains controversial. The fistula is discovered among patients with acute suppurative thyroiditis or deep neck infection of the left side of the neck and is usually located in the left pyriform sinus. To the best of our knowledge, only a single tract has been reported to be responsible for pyriform sinus fistula infection.

CD98 as a novel prognostic indicator for patients with stage III/IV hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Both L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) and CD98 are strongly expressed in primary human cancer and play essential roles in tumor growth. We studied the clinicopathological significance of LAT1 and CD98 expression in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Methods: A total of 70 patients with stage III/IV disease were retrospectively reviewed.

Alteration of cancer stem cell-like phenotype by histone deacetylase inhibitors in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Recent progression in the understanding of stem cell biology has greatly facilitated the identification and characterization of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Moreover, evidence has accumulated indicating that conventional cancer treatments are potentially ineffective against CSCs. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have multiple biologic effects consequent to alterations in the patterns of acetylation of histones and are a promising new group of anticancer agents.

Subglottic Schwannoma: a report of a rare case that was treated with medial thyrotomy.

We present a rare case of primary subglottic schwannoma in a 51-year-old man. He presented with subacute dyspnea and progressively worsening stridor. Videoendoscopy revealed the presence of a submucosal mass in the subglottic area, which measured 2 cm in diameter and had occluded approximately 80% of the lumen.

Clinicopathological significance of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) expression in patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma.

The expression of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is correlated with tumor cell growth and survival. However, the clinicopathological significance of LAT1 expression in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinicopathological significance of LAT1 expression in ACC.