Novel Immunotherapeutic Approaches to Treating HPV-Related Head and Neck Cancer.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the seventh most common malignancy, with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) accounting for a majority of cases in the western world. While HNC accounts for only 5% of all cancers in the United States, the incidence of a subset of OPSCC caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) is increasing rapidly. The treatment for OPSCC is multifaceted, with a recently emerging focus on immunotherapeutic approaches.

Head and neck cancer.

Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common type of cancer worldwide and comprise of a diverse group of tumours affecting the upper aerodigestive tract. Although many different histologies exist, the most common is squamous cell carcinoma. Predominant risk factors include tobacco use, alcohol abuse, and oncogenic viruses, including human papillomavirus and Epstein-Barr virus.

Parenteral Bevacizumab for the Treatment of Severe Respiratory Papillomatosis in an Adult Population.

Objectives/hypothesis: Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a rare, potentially life-threatening, disease that impacts the voice, breathing, and quality of life of patients. Frequent surgical interventions may be needed to control symptoms. We examined the safety and efficacy of utilizing parenteral bevacizumab in the management of severe RRP in adults.

Multimodal Therapy for Sinonasal Malignancies: Updates and Review of Current Treatment.

Sinonasal malignancies pose a significant challenge in management due to their low incidence, biologic diversity, and significant symptom burden. Even though surgery remains the primary therapeutic modality, a multi-modality approach has been shown to benefit a significant proportion of patients and its success depends largely on stage and histologic type. Non-surgical approaches such as novel radiation approaches as well as intensification with systemic therapy hold promise in altering the organ preservation rate as well as overall survival for patients.

A Case of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Occurring in a Patient Treated for Essential Thrombocythemia.

BACKGROUND Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is one of the BCR-ABL gene fusion negative chronic myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs), which also include polycythemia vera (PV), and myelofibrosis. Few clinical cases have reported the progression of ET to chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) with the expression of the BCR-ABL gene. This report describes such a case and includes a review of other reported cases of CML co-occurring with BCR-ABL-negative chronic MPDs.

Systemic therapy in non-conventional cancers of the larynx.

Laryngeal cancer (LC) remains a challenging disease to treat. The majority of LCs diagnosed worldwide are squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), and current treatment guidelines are designed to address conventional laryngeal SCC. However, several histologically rare tumor types can originate in the larynx.

Toxicities of systemic agents in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN); A new perspective in the era of immunotherapy.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is a difficult to treat malignancy and represents the seventh most common cancer worldwide. Systemic therapy has a critical role in the treatment of locally advanced and recurrent/metastatic disease. Cytotoxic chemotherapy has been primarily used along with radiation and surgery, with cisplatin being the standard of care choice of therapy.

Rhabdomyolysis Following Initiation of Posaconazole Use for Antifungal Prophylaxis in a Patient With Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Case Report.

Posaconazole is a commonly used medication for antifungal prophylaxis in patients with high-risk acute leukemia, such as acute myeloid leukemia. Despite clinical data that show that posaconazole is superior to other antifungal prophylaxis medications, posaconazole is known to have many side effects and drug-drug interactions. We present a patient who developed rhabdomyolysis after being started on posaconazole for prophylaxis in the setting of relapsed acute myeloid leukemia.

The Future Prospects of Immune Therapy in Gastric and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

The prognosis of esophageal cancers is poor and novel approaches are urgently needed. Despite improvements in outcomes with transtuzumab and ramucirumab, these improvements added an average of only 2 to 3 months with a median overall survival reported to be around 1 year. Comprehensive genomic sequencing has defined some molecular alterations with potential targets, but the majority of patients still do not benefit from druggable targets.

The Evolving and Future Role of Taxanes in Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Head and Neck: A Review.

Importance: Since their discovery in the 1970s, taxanes have maintained widespread clinical use in solid tumors, including squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), but SCCHN remains a difficult malignancy to treat, often requiring a multidisciplinary approach involving surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Taxanes have been heavily studied in the treatment of SCCHN, and their use is currently in the setting of induction chemotherapy with the TPF (docetaxel, FU, cisplatin) regimen for locally advanced SCCHN, as well as in the concurrent therapy setting. However, there is still no clear guideline or indication for the use of taxanes in SCCHN.

Complete Remission of Acute Myeloid Leukemia following Cisplatin Based Concurrent Therapy with Radiation for Squamous Cell Laryngeal Cancer.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a myeloid disorder with several established treatment regimens depending on patient and leukemic factors. Cisplatin is known to have strong leukemogenic potential and is rarely used even as salvage therapy in relapsed or refractory AML. We present a patient simultaneously diagnosed with AML and squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, who was found to be in complete remission from AML following treatment with cisplatin based chemoradiotherapy for his laryngeal cancer.

Vertical line quadrisection: "what" it represents and who gets the upper hand.

Background: Normal adults demonstrate a slight upward bias (vertical pseudoneglect) when attempting vertical line bisection. The mechanism for this bias is unknown. Activation of the allocentric (object-centered) ventral visual system during attempted bisection may induce this bias.