Masses of the Paranasal Sinuses After Treatment of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Case Report.

The development of a new mass in the field of irradiation of a previously treated Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is generally considered a sign of recurrence. We report a case of a 46-year-old male, with a past history of undifferentiated NPC, with an expansive lesion discovered during radiological follow-up that occupied nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. The endoscopic sinuses surgery was necessary in order to analyze and remove the mass with intraoperative frozen sections to highlight mucosa free from disease.

Psychological distress and health-related quality of life among head and neck cancer patients during the first year after treatment.

Purpose: Patients treated for head and neck cancer present some of the most significant posttreatment morbidity of any group of patients with cancer. Our aim is to describe quality of life and psychological distress after different treatments among head and neck cancer patients during the first year after treatment.

Methods: A total of 86 patients treated for head and neck cancer were evaluated within 1 year of the end of treatment by means of the Distress Thermometer (DT) and EORTC C30 and H&N35 questionnaires.

Sclerosing paraganglioma of the carotid body: a potential pitfall of malignancy.

Paragangliomas (PGs) of the head and neck region are typically benign, slow-growing neuroendocrine tumours. At times, they may exhibit unusual histological features, such as prominent stromal sclerosis (sclerosing PG), which may raise concerns of malignancy. We describe a case of sclerosing PG of the carotid body, emphasizing the value of immunohistochemical stains for differential diagnosis.

Patients' survival after free flap reconstructive surgery of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective multicentre study.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of the (HNSCC) represents approximately 5% of malignant tumours in Italy. HNSCC are commonly treated with surgery or radiotherapy, or a combination of such therapies. The objectives of treatment are maximum cure rate balanced with organ preservation, restoration of form and function, reduction of morbidities and improvement or maintenance of the patient's quality of life.

Autonomous reparative unit (ARU): a new concept of repairing free flap donor site with local full-thickness skin graft.

Usually, harvesting free flap in the limbs creates an inevitable sequence of aesthetic damage not only in the donor site but also in the area of the graft used to repair the free flap donor site. Aim of the study was to standardize a simple method, defined Autonomous Reparative Unit, that allows closing of the donor site defects with a skin graft from the adjacent cutaneous area, avoiding further aesthetic damage in a third area. We define the "Autonomous Reparative Unit" as the rectangular shaped skin area of the flap and the dermoepidermic skin graft designed as an isoscele triangle with the base adjacent to the smaller side of the flap defect.

Review of 346 patients with free-flap reconstruction following head and neck surgery for neoplasm.

We present our 14-year experience of free tissue transfer following surgery for head and neck neoplasm. We evaluated 346 patients mean age 57 years, 65% had squamous cell carcinoma; the most frequent sites were oral cavity and mandible (168) craniomaxillo facial region (94) pharynx +/- cervical oesophagus and oropharyngostomes (84). In 327 (95%) cases the reconstruction was a success.

Which classification for ethmoid malignant tumors involving the anterior skull base?

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare three systems of classification for malignant ethmoidal tumors in patients undergoing anterior craniofacial resection.

Methods: A radiologic locoregional evaluation of 241 patients with malignant ethmoid tumors was performed before patients underwent an anterior craniofacial resection. Disease in each case was staged according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer-Union Internationale Contre le Cancer (AJCC-UICC) 1997 classification, the AJCC-UICC 2002 classification, and the Istituto Nazionale Tumori (INT) classification.

Local adoptive immunotherapy of advanced head and neck tumors with LAK cells and interleukin-2.

Since October 1987 a pilot phase I-II study on the effect of loco-regional injections of recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL-2) in association with LAK cells has been performed in advanced, recurrent head and neck cancer patients. Fourteen patients were treated with autologous LAKs and rIL-2 (Glaxo) given peritumorally and in the mastoid region (rIL-2 only in the latter site). LAKs (2-70 x 10(7)) + rIL-2 were injected on the first day of therapy, followed by 9 daily injections of rIL-2 only.

In vivo interleukin 2-induced activation of lymphokine-activated killer cells and tumor cytotoxic T-cells in cervical lymph nodes of patients with head and neck tumors.

To study whether regional injection of recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL-2) can induce an in vivo lymphocyte activation in cervical lymph nodes (LNs) of patients with head and neck carcinoma, 12 patients, candidates for prophylactic dissection, were treated for 7-10 days prior to surgery with rIL-2, 10(5) units/day, injected in the perimastoid region. A marked induction of cytotoxic activity against allogeneic (K562 and Daudi lines) and autologous target cells (fresh spindle cell carcinomas of the tongue) was observed in lymphocytes obtained from jugular, spinal, and, to a lesser extent, submandibular LNs of all treated patients. An increase of cytotoxicity was also present in LNs contralateral to the rIL-2 injection side.

Alternating cisplatinum and VAC ineffective in end stage squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Sixteen patients with end stage squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were admitted to a phase II study of alternating courses of cisplatinum (100 mg/m2) and VAC (vincristine 1.4 mg/m2, adriamycin 50 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2) given at three weekly intervals. Only two patients achieved a response (12 per cent).

[Precancerous oral lesions. Diagnostic and therapeutic protocol].

The NRC (National Research Council) task force on head and neck cancer issued this document to help clinicians involved in diagnosing and treating precancerous oral diseases. Chapter 1 includes definition, epidemiology, risk factors (alcohol, smoking, poor oral hygiene), WHO classification, clinical picture of leukoplakias, erythroplasia, lichen planus, as well as their natural history. Chapter 2 points out the clinical signs to be looked for in order to make a proper diagnosis and discusses biopsy techniques.