The art of specimen orientation: Two-dimensional maps for oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma.

The goal of surgical treatment for oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma (SCCa) is resection to negative margins. Current methods of orienting resection specimens often do not give a comprehensive view, especially in oropharynx SCCa where specimens can lack anatomic landmarks. We created standardized two-dimensional maps of oropharynx anatomy drawn to scale to improve communication between surgeons and pathologists.

Predictors of gastrostomy tube placement in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing resection and flap-based reconstruction: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Nutritional status may be impaired in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing surgical treatment, often necessitating gastrostomy tube (G-tube) placement. Identifying which patients will require a G-tube remains a challenge. This study identifies predictors of G-tube requirement in patients undergoing tumor resection and reconstruction with pedicled or free flaps.

Trends in Incidence and Mortality of Larynx Cancer in the US.

Importance: Larynx cancer is associated with considerable morbidity for patients and has a high mortality rate. Historical analyses showed that the incidence of larynx cancer was decreasing but the mortality was not similarly improving.

Objective: To assess whether incidence and mortality trends in larynx cancer in the US have improved.

Clinicopathologic and Genomic Characterization of Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumors of the Head and Neck: Highlighting a Novel Fusion and Potential Diagnostic Pitfall.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a distinctive fibroblastic and myofibroblastic spindle cell neoplasm with an accompanying inflammatory cell infiltrate and frequent receptor tyrosine kinase activation at the molecular level. The tumor may recur and rarely metastasizes. IMT is rare in the head and neck region, and limited information is available about its clinicopathologic and molecular characteristics in these subsites.

Spontaneous regression of squamous cell carcinoma in the setting of dental infection and needle biopsy.

To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of spontaneous regression of squamous cell carcinoma within a lymph node. We speculate that prior dental infection, fever, and biopsy incited an antitumor immune reaction.

Primary Ewing's sarcoma of the petroclival bone: A case report and literature review.

Background: Primary Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is typically seen within the long bones, vertebrae, or pelvis. Uncommonly, it can be found within the cranium among the rarest locations for primary ES are the skull base, in particular, the petroclival bone.

Case Description: The patient is a 68-year-old female with past medical history of Stage III breast cancer who presented with severe retro-orbital headache and diplopia due to a cranial nerve VI palsy.

Microbial infection-induced expansion of effector T cells overcomes the suppressive effects of regulatory T cells via an IL-2 deprivation mechanism.

Foxp3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells are a critical cell population that suppresses T cell activation in response to microbial and viral pathogens. We identify a cell-intrinsic mechanism by which effector CD4(+) T cells overcome the suppressive effects of Treg cells in the context of three distinct infections: Toxoplasma gondii, Listeria monocytogenes, and vaccinia virus. The acute responses to the parasitic, bacterial, and viral pathogens resulted in a transient reduction in frequency and absolute number of Treg cells.