Genetic and Molecular Differences in Head and Neck Cancer Based on Smoking History.

Importance: Up to 80% of survivors of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) currently or previously smoked. Thus, tobacco use is a major modifiable risk factor for HNSCC, even in the era of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated disease. However, how smoking underlies chromosomal and epigenetic changes that are associated with HNSCC outcomes remains unclear.

Patient-Reported Distress in Individuals With Head and Neck Cancer.

Importance: Distress is common among patients with cancer, and evidence of disparities associated with distress has been mixed. Head and neck cancer (HNC) is one of the most emotionally distressing cancers and is also a highly disparate disease. However, it is unknown whether there are disparities associated with patient-reported distress in HNC.

Computational staining of CD3/CD20 positive lymphocytes in human tissues with experimental confirmation in a genetically engineered mouse model.

Introduction: Immune dysregulation plays a major role in cancer progression. The quantification of lymphocytic spatial inflammation may enable spatial system biology, improve understanding of therapeutic resistance, and contribute to prognostic imaging biomarkers.

Methods: In this paper, we propose a knowledge-guided deep learning framework to measure the lymphocytic spatial architecture on human H&E tissue, where the fidelity of training labels is maximized through single-cell resolution image registration of H&E to IHC.

Trends and factors associated with receipt of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in private, public, and alternative settings in the United States.

Background: One of the goals of the President's Cancer Panel was to maximize access to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination through expansion of alternative settings for receiving the vaccine, such as in public health settings, schools, and pharmacies.

Methods: In a cross-sectional analysis, we utilized the National Immunization Survey-Teen data from 2014 to 2020 (n = 74,645) to describe trends and factors associated with HPV vaccine uptake in private, public, and alternative settings. We calculated annual percent change (APC) between 2014 and 2020, estimating rate of HPV vaccine uptake across settings.

Preclinical Evaluation of the ATR Inhibitor BAY 1895344 as a Radiosensitizer for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: Despite aggressive multimodal treatment that typically includes definitive or adjuvant radiation therapy (RT), locoregional recurrence rates approach 50% for patients with locally advanced human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Thus, more effective therapeutics are needed to improve patient outcomes. We evaluated the radiosensitizing effects of ataxia telangiectasia and RAD3-related (ATR) inhibitor (ATRi) BAY 1895344 in preclinical models of HNSCC.

Differences in Receipt of Immunotherapy Treatment Among Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.

Importance: The US Food and Drug Administration approved immune checkpoint inhibitors (immunotherapy) for select cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in 2016. However, it is unclear whether there are clinical or sociodemographic differences among patients receiving immunotherapy as part of their care. Given the known disparities in head and neck cancer care, we hypothesized that there are differences in receipt of immunotherapy among patients with HNSCC based on clinical and nonclinical characteristics.

Salvage Surgery.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Laryngeal Cancer Study propelled the combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy to the forefront of strategies used for the management of locally advanced laryngeal cancer. The organ preservation rate was 84%. However, over the past 30 years that these approaches have been in place, there have been concerns regarding long-term survival and high failure rates requiring salvage.

Human papillomavirus vaccine uptake among teens before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

It is unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake and which sociodemographic groups may have been most impacted. We aimed to assess differences in HPV vaccine uptake (initiation and completion) before and during the pandemic in the United States. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2019 to 2020 National Immunization Surveys - Teen (NIS-Teen), comparing vaccine initiation and completion rates in 2019 vs.

Whole-Slide Cytometric Feature Mapping for Distinguishing Tumor Genomic Subtypes in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Whole-Slide Images.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a heterogeneous disease where, in advanced stages, clinical and pathologic stages do not correlate with outcome. Molecular and genomic biomarkers for HNSCC classification have shown promise for prognostic and therapeutic applications. This study utilized automated image analysis techniques in whole-slide images of HNSCC tumors to identify relationships between cytometric features and genomic phenotypes.

Automated Nuclear Segmentation in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Pathology Reveals Relationships between Cytometric Features and ESTIMATE Stromal and Immune Scores.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in the progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Currently, pathologic assessment of TME is nonstandardized and subject to observer bias. Genome-wide transcriptomic approaches to understanding the TME, while less subject to bias, are expensive and not currently a part of the standard of care for HNSCC.

Differential Outcomes Among Survivors of Head and Neck Cancer Belonging to Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups.

Importance: Approximately 1 in 5 new patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) in the US belong to racial and ethnic minority groups, but their survival rates are worse than White individuals. However, because most studies compare Black vs White patients, little is known about survival differences among members of racial and ethnic minority groups.

Objective: To describe differential survival and identify nonclinical factors associated with stage of presentation among patients with HNC belonging to racial and ethnic minority groups.

Impairment of Tissue-Resident Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Chronic Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease.

Background And Aims: Little is known about the presence and function of tissue-resident mesenchymal stem cells [MtSCs] within the gastrointestinal mucosa in health and inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]. The contribution of MtSCs to the generation of inflammatory fibroblasts during IBD is also poorly understood. We hypothesized that IBD-MtSCs are impaired and contribute to the generation of the pathological myofibroblasts in IBD.

Activation PDGFR-α/AKT Mediated Signaling Pathways in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells Promotes Anti-apoptosis and Decreased Sensitivity to Cisplatin.

Desmoplasia, a hallmark of a head and neck cancer, has both biologic and physiologic effects on cancer progression and chemotherapeutic response. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), also known as mesenchymal stromal progenitor cells, have been shown to play a role in cancer progression, alter apoptotic responses, and confer resistance to chemotherapy in various carcinomas. The pathophysiology of MSCs with respect to tumorigenesis is widely reported in other cancers and is sparsely reported in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs).

PDGF-AA mediates mesenchymal stromal cell chemotaxis to the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tumor microenvironment.

Background: The robust desmoplasia associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) suggests that the tumor microenvironment may be an important component in the pathophysiology of this cancer. Moreover, the high recurrence rate and poor clinical response to chemotherapy and radiation treatment further underscores that the non-cancerous cells of the microenvironment, such as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and pericytes, may be important in the pathophysiology of HNSCC.

Methods: Confocal microscopy and immunohistomchemistry approaches were used to identify MSCs tumor microenvironment from patients with oral cavity and oral pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

CD90(+) stromal cells are the major source of IL-6, which supports cancer stem-like cells and inflammation in colorectal cancer.

IL-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine increased in CRC and known to directly promote tumor growth. Colonic myofibroblasts/fibroblasts (CMFs or stromal cells) are CD90(+) innate immune cells representing up to 30% of normal colonic mucosal lamina propria cells. They are expanded in CRC tumor stroma, where they also known as a cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs).

Microscopic thymoma and parathyroid adenoma: rare combination of two distinct pathologies.

While there is an intimate anatomical and embryological relationship between the inferior parathyroid gland and thymus, concurrent pathology is rare. Three cases have been reported in the literature of a parathyroid adenoma in conjunction with a thymoma. We present a case report of a 60-year-old female with a past medical history of hypercalcemia subsequently found to have primary hyperparathyroidism.

Malignant melanoma induces migration and invasion of adult mesenchymal stem cells.

Objectives/hypothesis: To determine if melanoma cells secrete chemotactic factors that result in the migration of multipotent stem cells.

Study Design: In vitro cell culture.

Methods: Chemotaxis and invasion of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) was determined using the modified Boyden chamber assay.

Venous thromboembolism in patients with head and neck cancer after surgery.

Background: The purpose of this study was to report the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with head and neck cancer after surgery.

Methods: This was a single-institution, retrospective cohort: 134 patients underwent resection and simultaneous microvascular reconstruction. The primary endpoint was identification of confirmed or suspicious VTE within 30 days of surgery.

Immediate eye rehabilitation at the time of facial nerve sacrifice.

Objective: In the setting of known facial nerve sacrifice or injury, patients require precautions to prevent exposure keratitis and the morbidity that follows. One recommended treatment is surgical placement of a gold weight with or without lateral tarsal strip. In patients in whom the facial nerve has been sacrificed, it is unknown whether rehabilitation should be simultaneous or in the perioperative period.

Intraoperative bupivacaine for reduction of post-tonsillectomy pain: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of 26 patients.

We conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blind, prospective study to evaluate the effect of intraoperative bupivacaine injection on postoperative pain control following Bovie cautery-assisted tonsillectomy in 26 adults. Sixteen patients were injected with 10 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine, and 10 were injected with 10 ml of normal saline solution.

Identification of distant metastases with PET-CT in patients with suspected recurrent head and neck cancer.

Objectives: To investigate the utility of positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) in identifying distant metastatic disease in patients with suspected recurrent head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC).

Study Design: Retrospective analysis.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 64 consecutive patients with suspected recurrent HNSCC following definitive treatment who underwent PET-CT imaging were eligible for inclusion.

Identification of distant metastases with positron-emission tomography-computed tomography in patients with previously untreated head and neck cancer.

Objectives: To investigate the utility of positron-emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in identifying distant metastatic disease in patients with previously untreated head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) prior to definitive treatment.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective analysis of 27 consecutive patients with previously untreated HNSCC who underwent PET-CT imaging in addition to chest radiography (CXR) as part of their metastatic workup.

Results: The majority of patients (89%) had TNM stage III or IV disease.