Successful detection of a minute tonsillar cancer lesion on transoral examination with narrow band imaging: A report of 2 cases.

Background: The improvement of optical enhancement devices, such as narrow band imaging (NBI), has enabled us to visualize lesions that cannot be seen upon macroscopic examination. NBI is useful for detecting subtle lesions, including the primary sites of occult primary cancer.

Methods And Results: We describe 2 cases of tiny tonsillar cancer with positive p16 staining.

The predictive role of infiltrative growth pattern in early pharyngeal cancers.

Conclusion: The infiltrative growth pattern may predict tumor depth and lymph node metastasis. INF-a seems to fall into a low-risk category, and no additional treatment may be required immediately.

Objectives: Tumor depth is a predictor of lymph node metastasis in early pharyngeal cancers.

The potential risk of vessel infiltration and cervical lymph node metastasis in hypopharyngeal superficial squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective observational study.

Conclusion: The depth of hypopharyngeal superficial cancer may predict vessel infiltration and potential risk of cervical lymph node metastasis.

Objectives: To elucidate the histopathological predictors of vessel infiltration and the risk of regional lymph node metastasis in hypopharyngeal superficial cancer.

Methods: This study included 31 lesions from 30 patients who had undergone transoral en bloc resection in the hospital.

Intratumoral heterogeneity of HER2 protein and amplification of HER2 gene in salivary duct carcinoma.

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is an aggressive adenocarcinoma of the salivary glands, and accounts for 1-3% of all malignant salivary gland tumors, resembling morphologically invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) of the breast. In contrast to IDC of the breast and gastric carcinoma (GC), the study of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in SDC has not progressed. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between HER2 protein expression and amplification of the HER2 gene, and compared them in terms of intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) in 13 cases of SDC using immunohistochemistry and dual color in situ hybridization.

A new technique to expose the hypopharyngeal space: The modified Killian's method.

Objective: Recent remarkable progress in endoscopic technology has enabled the detection of superficial cancers that were undetectable in the past. However, even though advanced endoscopic technology can detect early lesions, it is useless unless it can provide wide exposure of an area. By modifying the Killian position, it is possible to observe a wider range of the hypopharyngeal space than is possible with conventional head positions.

Optimal postoperative treatment for composite laryngeal small cell carcinoma.

Small cell carcinoma (SmCC) most commonly occurs in the lung and rarely arises from the head and neck region. Further, composite SmCC is extremely rare. Therefore, no postoperative treatment strategy has been established.

Localized or diffuse lesions of the submandibular glands in immunoglobulin g4-related disease in association with differential organ involvement.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the sonographic characteristics of the submandibular glands and organ involvement at the initial presentation in patients with immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study that included 15 patients who had bilateral swollen submandibular glands and elevated serum IgG4 levels between January 2005 and December 2010.

Results: In all 15 patients, sonography revealed the involvement of both sides of the submandibular glands.

Evaluating the significance of level IIb neck dissection for hypopharyngeal cancer.

Background: This study evaluated cervical lymph node metastases at level IIb in cases of hypopharyngeal cancer and analyzed the possibility of preservation of level IIb during neck dissection.

Methods: In total, 34 patients (51 neck sides) with hypopharyngeal cancer that underwent neck dissection from April 2008 to April 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. We evaluated the distribution of metastatic lymph nodes at various levels (particularly level IIb) in cases treated with therapeutic neck dissection and elective neck dissection.

Transoral en bloc resection of superficial laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive transoral en bloc resection of superficial pharyngeal and laryngeal cancers.

Methods: Forty-one superficial lesions (from 35 patients) were resected transorally under a surgical microscope using a monopolar cautery. Quality of life (QOL) was assessed using a questionnaire European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Head and Neck Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-H&N35) 1 year after the surgery.

Prevention of wound complications in salvage pharyngolaryngectomy by the use of well-vascularized flaps.

Conclusions: We successfully reduced the incidence of pharyngocutaneous fistulas (PCFs) in high-risk patients undergoing surgery by using pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps (PMMCFs) and deltopectoral flaps (DPFs) to cover suture lines.

Objectives: We used coverage of suture lines with PMMCFs and DPFs in patients with high risk of PCFs undergoing total laryngectomy (TL) or total pharyngolaryngectomy (TPL) to determine whether coverage of suture lines during salvage surgery can reduce the incidence of PCFs.

Methods: This retrospective study was based on a review of 52 patients who underwent salvage TL or TPL between 2001 and 2011; we have been using PMMCFs or DPFs during salvage surgery since 2008.

Multivariate analysis of wound complications after surgery for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the factors leading to postoperative complications following surgical management of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers.

Procedures: Between 2001 and 2008, the medical records of 107 laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer patients requiring laryngectomy or pharyngolaryngectomy at our hospital were reviewed. The incidence of wound complications and correlation of complications with clinicopathological factors were investigated by univariate and multivariate analysis.

A survey of head and neck malignancy at Tokai University Hospital.

Patients with head and neck malignancy who visited Tokai University Hospital over seven years were statistically surveyed. Six hundred and eighty-three patients were newly registered in this period. The most frequent primary lesion was the larynx (29.