Cervical lymph node metastasis and papillary thyroid carcinoma: does the compartment involved affect survival? Experience from the SEER database.

Purpose: Determine how the location of cervical lymph node metastases affects survival in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients.

Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was queried for patients diagnosed with PTC. Disease specific survival (DSS) was estimated according to node status and extent of cervical involvement by Kaplan-Meier analysis.

Feasibility of flap reconstruction in conjunction with intraoperative radiation therapy for advanced and recurrent head and neck cancer.

Background: Radiation is a known risk factor for poor wound healing. Patients undergoing intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) typically receive higher cumulative doses to their wound beds than patients treated with conventional radiation therapy. We review our experience with IORT in patients undergoing resection of head and neck cancer and flap reconstruction.

A case of pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland metastasizing to a mediastinal lymph node.

Objective: Pleomorphic adenomas are the most common salivary gland tumors and are typically cured with complete surgical excision. There are rare reports, however, in which these histologically benign tumors have inexplicably metastasized to distant sites. We present a case of a patient who presented, 27 years after excision of a parotid pleomorphic adenoma, with a recurrence in the parotid bed and a mediastinal metastasis.

Tongue paresthesia and dysgeusia following operative microlaryngoscopy.

Objectives: This study was performed to assess the overall incidence and duration of alterations in tongue sensation and taste after operative microlaryngoscopy, and the relation of these symptoms to operative time.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of information regarding tongue symptoms in patients who completed standard post-microlaryngoscopy follow-up at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months.

Results: One hundred patients (54 male and 46 female; mean age, 46 years; age range, 14 to 83 years) met the inclusion criteria.

Kaposi's sarcoma of an intraparotid lymph node leading to a diagnosis of HIV.

Objective: Kaposi's sarcoma is a common malignancy in patients infected with HIV but is rarely seen in the major salivary glands. If a patient is known to be HIV-positive, however, Kaposi's sarcoma must be considered in the differential diagnosis of salivary gland masses in addition to the benign and malignant neoplasms that occur in immunocompetent patients. We present a unique case in which an otherwise healthy patient was diagnosed with HIV after resection of his enlarged parotid gland revealed Kaposi's sarcoma.

Management of cancer of the base of tongue.

The management of base of tongue cancer has evolved steadily over time. Organ preservation with primary radiation therapy has produced excellent oncologic and functional outcomes. Concomitant chemotherapy has become important in patients with locoregionally advanced disease.

Differential regulation of a fibroblast growth factor-binding protein during skin carcinogenesis and wound healing.

The initiation of premalignant lesions is associated with subtle cellular and gene expression changes. Here we describe a severe combined immunodeficiency mouse xenograft model with human adult skin and compare chemical carcinogenesis and wound healing. We focus on a secreted binding protein for fibroblast growth factors (FGF-BP) that enhances the activity of locally stored FGFs and is expressed at high levels in human epithelial cancers.