Radiofrequency ablation compared to surgery for thyroid nodules: A case for office based treatment.

Objective: We aim to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for benign thyroid nodules by ENT surgeons and to compare it to conventional hemithyroidectomy in the public healthcare, operating theater contained setting.

Methods: 50 patients who underwent a single session of RFA for symptomatic benign thyroid nodules in Prince of Wales Hospital and Tseung Kwan O Hospital in Hong Kong from 2020 to 2022 were evaluated. Objective outcomes including nodule volume, volume reduction rate (VRR) and complications were recorded.

Integrative analysis reveals associations between oral microbiota dysbiosis and host genetic and epigenetic aberrations in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.

Dysbiosis of the human oral microbiota has been reported to be associated with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) while the host-microbiota interactions with respect to the potential impact of pathogenic bacteria on host genomic and epigenomic abnormalities remain poorly studied. In this study, the mucosal bacterial community, host genome-wide transcriptome and DNA CpG methylation were simultaneously profiled in tumors and their adjacent normal tissues of OSCC patients. Significant enrichment in the relative abundance of seven bacteria species (Fusobacterium nucleatum, Treponema medium, Peptostreptococcus stomatis, Gemella morbillorum, Catonella morbi, Peptoanaerobacter yurli and Peptococcus simiae) were observed in OSCC tumor microenvironment.

The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease and laryngopharyngeal reflux in patients with dysphagia after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) in post-irradiated patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is unknown.

Materials And Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 31 NPC and 12 control patients completed questionnaires for GERD/LPR before esophageal manometry and 24-h pH monitoring. The DeMeester score and reflux finding score (RFS) were used to define GERD and LPR, respectively.

A Hybrid Auricular Framework of Autologous Rib Cartilage and a Porous Polyethylene Implant for Reconstruction of Congenital Microtia: A Modification of Nagata's Technique.

An implant (porous polyethylene) is an alternative to rib cartilage for microtia reconstruction but carries a risk of extrusion. To evaluate the outcome of a hybrid framework of implant with rib cartilage for microtia reconstruction. Patients who underwent Nagata's technique for microtia reconstruction were reviewed for complications and aesthetic score.

Combining Transoral Nasopharyngeal Brush and Plasma Epstein-Barr Virus DNA in Detecting Locally Recurrent Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Objective: To evaluate the sensitivities and specificities of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA in the detection of locally recurrent or persistent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) through nasopharyngeal (NP) brush biopsy and plasma, respectively, and whether a combination of both would be superior to the individual tests.

Study Design: A case-control study was conducted from September 2016 to June 2022.

Setting: A multicentre study at 3 tertiary referral centers in Hong Kong was conducted by the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Convergent dysbiosis of upper aerodigestive microbiota between patients with esophageal and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.

The bidirectional association between primary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) suggests common risk factors and oncogenic molecular processes but it is unclear whether these two cancers display similar patterns of dysbiosis in their upper aerodigestive microbiota (UADM). We conducted a case-control study to characterize the microbial communities in esophageal lavage samples from 49 ESCC patients and oral rinse samples from 91 OSCC patients using 16S rRNA V3-V4 amplicon sequencing. Compared with their respective non-SCC controls from the same anatomical sites, 32 and 45 discriminative bacterial genera were detected in ESCC and OSCC patients, respectively.

Characterization of oral microbiota in HPV and non-HPV head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and its association with patient outcomes.

Objective: To investigate the interplay among the oral microbiota, HPV infection, traditional risk factors and patient outcomes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Materials And Methods: A multi-center study of HNSCC patients with paired tumor and control tissues. We characterized the oral microbiota and HPV infection of tissues in 166 Chinese adults by sequencing the bacterial 16S rRNA V3-V4 and HPV L1 regions, respectively, and examined the associations among the oral microbiota, HPV and clinical features.

Oro-pharyngo-esophageal radionuclide scintigraphy predicts aspiration pneumonia risk and associated survival in post-irradiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Objective: To demonstrate that oro-pharyngo-esophageal radionuclide scintigraphy (OPERS) not only detects tracheobronchial aspiration after swallowing, but also quantifies the amount of aspiration and subsequent clearance.

Methods: Data collected between 2014 and 2019 were reviewed for aspiration pneumonia at 12 and 24-months after OPERS. The predictive value for aspiration pneumonia on flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), and OPERS, and the overall survival of patients with or without aspiration were determined.

Restoration of the Oral Microbiota After Surgery for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Is Associated With Patient Outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate the dynamics of the oral microbiome and associated patient outcomes following treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective cohort study at a tertiary academic center in Hong Kong SAR of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma evaluating the oral microbiome in pre- and postsurgery oral rinses (at 1, 3, and 6 months) with 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 amplicon sequencing.

Results: In total, 76 HNSCC patients were evaluated.

Droplet digital PCR of tumor suppressor gene methylation in serial oral rinses of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) currently lacks sensitive approaches to detect cancer-related traits in body fluid.

Methods: Methylation of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) (PAX5, EDNRB, and DCC) were measured in the oral rinses from 50 HNSCC and 58 control subjects using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Diagnostic accuracies in detecting HNSCC and the detection rate of recurrence in the post-treatment monitoring were analyzed.

Perceptual Voice and Speech Analysis after Supraglottic Laryngeal Closure for Chronic Aspiration in Head and Neck Cancer.

Objectives/hypothesis: To evaluate the voice and speech outcomes after tubed supraglottic laryngeal closure (TSLC) surgery to treat chronic aspiration after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Study Design: A retrospective case-control study.

Methods: The data of patients who underwent radiotherapy for head and neck cancer and who later required total laryngectomy or TSLC for chronic aspiration between 2004 and 2017 were retrieved from a dysphagia clinic.

The Intersection between Oral Microbiota, Host Gene Methylation and Patient Outcomes in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The role of oral microbiota in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is poorly understood. Here we sought to evaluate the association of the bacterial microbiome with host gene methylation and patient outcomes, and to explore its potential as a biomarker for early detection or intervention. Here we performed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing in sixty-eight HNSCC patients across both tissue and oral rinse samples to identify oral bacteria with differential abundance between HNSCC and controls.

Tubed Supraglottic Laryngeal Closure to Treat Chronic Aspiration After Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer.

Objectives/hypothesis: To evaluate the long-term swallowing outcomes after surgical treatment for chronic aspiration in patients treated with radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Study Design: This was a retrospective study.

Methods: The data of patients who underwent radiotherapy for head and neck cancer and who subsequently required a laryngectomy or a tubed supraglottic laryngeal closure (TSLC) for recurrent aspiration pneumonia between 2004 and 2017 were retrieved from a tertiary referral hospital dysphagia clinic.

COVID-19 Viral Load in the Severity of and Recovery From Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction.

Objectives/hypothesis: This study investigated olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in the 2020 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, and their correlations with viral load evaluation.

Study Design: Prospective cross-sectional cohort study.

Methods: One hundred forty-three symptomatic patients being screened for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were invited to participate.

Pearls of experience for safe and efficient hospital practices in otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery in Hong Kong during the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic originated in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly worldwide, leading the World Health Organization to declare an official global COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. In Hong Kong, clinicians and other healthcare personnel collaborated closely to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 and minimize the cross-transmission of disease among hospital staff members. In the field of otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) and its various subspecialties, contingency plans were required for patient bookings in outpatient clinics, surgeries in operating rooms, protocols in wards and other services.

Mitigation of head and neck cancer service disruption during COVID-19 in Hong Kong through telehealth and multi-institutional collaboration.

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been spreading worldwide at an alarming rate. Health-care workers have been confronted with the challenge of not only treating patients with the virus, but also managing the disruption of health-care services caused by COVID-19. In anticipation of outbreak, clinic sessions and operation theater lists have been actively cut back since February 2020 to reduce hospital admissions and clinic attendances.

Management of dysphagia in the patient with head and neck cancer during COVID-19 pandemic: Practical strategy.

The global pandemic of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has tremendously altered routine medical service provision and imposed unprecedented challenges to the health care system. This impacts patients with dysphagia complications caused by head and neck cancers. As this pandemic of COVID-19 may last longer than severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, a practical workflow for managing dysphagia is crucial to ensure a safe and efficient practice to patients and health care personnel.

Neck lymph node status on survival of regionally recurrent or persistent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of lymph node status from neck dissection pathological specimens on the survival for isolated regional nodal recurrence or persistence after primary treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Through a retrospective cohort study performed in an academic tertiary referral hospital in Hong Kong. Forty-six patients who underwent a salvage neck dissection between June 2001 and January 2013 for isolated regionally recurrent or persistent nasopharyngeal carcinoma was performed.