Head And Neck Tumours (head + and_neck_tumour)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Lymph node metastases in the lower neck

CLINICAL OTOLARYNGOLOGY, Issue 3 2003
W. Giridharan
Lymph node metastases in the lower neck Current knowledge suggests that lymph node metastases in the lower neck (supraclavicular fossa and posterior triangle) are associated with a poor survival. Very little systematic work has been published on this subject. This was a retrospective study carried out on a database where all patients were entered in a prospective manner over a 35-year period using a standard pro-forma. Data on 168 patients presenting with a lower neck node metastasis were retrieved. The main outcome measures were: association between variables and tumour-specific survival. Data were displayed in contingency tables and analysed by chi-square and categorical modelling. Recurrence and survival were plotted in a cause-specific manner using the Kaplan Meir method. Differences in curves were analysed using the log rank test. Multivariate analysis was carried out using Cox's proportional hazard model. The only association was between site and node level and histology. Head and neck tumours were associated with squamous histology (P = 0.0004) and supraclavicular nodes (P = 0.0047). Survival time was not significantly different when lower-neck lymph node metastasis from the head and neck was compared to non-head and neck metastasis: 5-year survival 30% and 10% respectively (P = 0.1363). Survival with posterior triangle metastases was significantly better than supraclavicular metastases (P = 0. 0059), confirmed on multivariate analysis. Laterality of metastasis had no effect on survival (P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in survival between squamous and non-squamous metastases on Cox regression (P = not significant). There were 85 head and neck primaries including lymphomas, 53 infraclavicular primaries and 30 unknown primaries. There were 73 squamous cell carcinomas, 27 adenocarcinomas, 34 lymphomas, 28 undifferentiated tumours and six other tumours. Nearly half the primary tumours were below the clavicle. Survival was unaffected by laterality, primary site or histology, but was better for posterior triangle nodes. [source]


Balloon test occlusion for the management of head and neck tumour

ANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 6 2010
George Kwok Chu Wong FRCSEd(SN)
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Benzydamine for prophylaxis of radiation-induced oral mucositis in head and neck cancers: a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 2 2009
A. KAZEMIAN md, assistant professor
We evaluated the efficacy of benzydamine oral rinse for prevention of radiation-induced mucositis. Patients with head and neck cancers, who were referred in 2004,2005, received an oral rinse of either benzydamine or placebo. One hundred patients were randomized in this trial. At the end of the study, 19 patients were excluded from the analysis because they did not use the medication for the assigned period. In the benzydamine group, the frequency of mucositis grade ,3 was 43.6% in contrast to 78.6% in other group (P = 0.001). Grade ,3 mucositis was 2.6 times more frequent in the placebo group. Intensity of mucositis increased up to fourth week of treatment in both groups to grade 2. In the treated group the grade of mucositis was approximately constant to the end of therapy; but in the control group it raised to grade 3 (P < 0.001). The highest grade of mucositis during the treatment time was significantly different between two groups (P = 0.049). The median interval to observation of grade ,2 mucositis was 24 days in the placebo group and 28 days in the benzydamine group (P = 0.12). Benzydamine oral rinse seems to be effective, safe, and well tolerated for prophylactic treatment of radiation-induced oral mucositis in head and neck tumours. [source]


Effect of the combination of laser excision and interstitial hyperthermia in palliative therapy of head and neck tumours in the advanced stage of the disease

LASERS IN SURGERY AND MEDICINE, Issue 1 2004
Roman, mucler CSc
Abstract Background and Objectives We evaluated the potential of combining laser excision with laser interstitial hyperthermia in order to improve the quality of life of patients with 3rd or 4th stage malignant head and neck tumours. Study Design/Materials and Methods To evaluate the quality of life, we used the 4th version of the University of Washington Quality of Life assessment score modified for head and neck tumours. The study group of 20 patients assessed their condition in a questionnaire, examining 12 aspects of their quality of life before the laser treatment, the second day after, and 6 weeks after the treatment. Results We observed a gain of 16.41 points, which subjectively represents a 70.32% improvement in the quality of life. Conclusions Following this therapy the quality of life significantly improved in patients with primarily low quality of life, whereas the group of patients with less affected quality of life reported a temporary decline in the quality of life after the treatment. To obtain a proper objective indication, we suggest a mathematical modelling of possible gains for the individual patient using the University of Washington Quality of Life classification. Lasers Surg. Med. 34:12,17, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


HPV and other risk factors of oral cavity/oropharyngeal cancer in the Czech Republic

ORAL DISEASES, Issue 3 2005
R Tachezy
Objective:, An association between high-risk human papillomavirus (HR HPV) infection and a risk of development of a subgroup of head and neck cancers has been proposed recently. The main risk factors of oral and oropharyngal cancer observed in our population are smoking and alcohol consumption. The incidence of oral/oropharyngeal tumours in the Czech Republic is relatively high and there are no data available about the prevalence of HPV DNA presence in these tumours. Materials and methods:, Eighty patients with a primary oropharyngeal cancer were enrolled. The presence of HPV DNA has been evaluated by polymerase chain reaction in 68 cases from which the tumour tissue and demographical and clinical data were available. The typing of HPV was performed by nucleotide DNA sequencing. Results:, The HPV DNA was detected in 51.5% of samples tested. Among the HPV DNA positive tumours, 80% contained HPV16. In the analysed group there were 54 men and 14 women. The prevalence of HPV DNA was lower in oral (25%) than in oropharyngeal (57%) tumours, and higher in never smokers (100%) and never drinkers (68.8%). HPV DNA presence was not related to gender, age, number of lifetime sexual partners or practice of oral-genital sex, size of tumour or presence of regional metastases. Conclusions:, The difference in the prevalence of HPV DNA positive tumours between cases of oral cavity and oropharyngeal carcinoma exposed and not exposed to tobacco or alcohol support the theory that HPV DNA positive tumours form an aetiologically distinct subgroup of head and neck tumours. [source]


Dental Complications of Head and Neck Radiotherapy: Part 2

AUSTRALIAN DENTAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2001
Nectarios Andrews
Abstract Radiotherapy for head and neck tumours is a viable treatment modality. However, a wide range of potentially debilitating dental complications may accompany the treatment. In Part 2 of this article, prevention and management strategies available to the dental practitioner to stave off the dental side effects of radiotherapy are explored and particular attention is given to the management of xerostomia and radiation caries. [source]


Dental complications of head and neck radiotherapy: Part 1

AUSTRALIAN DENTAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2001
Nectarios Andrews
Abstract Radiotherapy for head and neck tumours is a viable treatment modality. However, a wide range of potentially debilitating dental complications may accompany this treatment. The nature and impact of these complications are outlined in this first part of a two-part article. In Part 2, prevention and management strategies available to the dental practitioner to stave off the dental side effects of radiotherapy will be explored. [source]


Does deprivation of area of residence influence the incidence, tumour site or T stage of cutaneous malignant melanoma?

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2007
A population-based, clinical database study
Summary This study aimed to document the incidence of malignant melanoma at specific subsites in men and women, stratified by deprivation of area of residence in southeast England, and to explore the association between deprivation and tumour thickness at diagnosis. Data were extracted on 6468 cases from the Thames Cancer Registry for the years 1998 to 2002, and data on, and 508 cases were extracted from the clinical database of the Skin Tumour Unit, St Thomas' Hospital, for the years 1996 to 2004. The postcode of residence was used to assign quintiles of deprivation based on the income domain stated in the Indices of Deprivation 2000. For both males and females, the incidence was higher for those living in the most affluent areas. The trunk was the most common site in males and the lower limbs in females. All sites showed an affluence gradient, although this was least pronounced for head and neck tumours. Distribution of T stage at diagnosis did not differ by deprivation of area of residence. [source]


Targeting of photosensitizers to head and neck tumours by the use of monoclonal antibodies

CLINICAL OTOLARYNGOLOGY, Issue 4 2001
G.A.M.S. Van Dongen
Introduction. The objective was to improve the selectivity of photodynamic therapy (PDT) by targeting photosensitizers to tumours by the use of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Two sensitizers were selected for this approach. Meta-tetrahydroxyphenylchlorin (mTHPC) was selected because it is one of the most effective photosensitizers in free form. Aluminium (III) phthalocyanine tetrasulphonate [AlPc(SO3H)4] was selected because of its ideal photochemical properties. However, owing to its hydrophilicity, this latter sensitizer is not able to enter the tumour cell and, therefore, in free form is ineffective in PDT. We hypothesized that AlPc(SO3H)4 might become suitable for PDT when coupled to tumour-selective mAbs. Methods. These were developed to couple the sensitizers to mAbs, including mAb 425 directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor. These conjugates were evaluated for efficacy in PDT in vitro and for tumour-targeting capacity in vivo. Results.,In vitro PDT showed that the AlPc(SO3H)4,mAb 425 conjugate was ,7500 times more toxic to A431 cells than the free sensitizer (IC50 values 0.12 nm versus 900 nm), and was also more toxic than the mTHPC,mAb 425 conjugate and free mTHPC (IC50 values 7.3 nm versus 2.0 nm). Biodistribution analysis of the conjugates in tumour-bearing nude mice showed selective accumulation in the tumour. Conclusion. These data show that AlPc(SO3H)4, in particular, has high potential for use in PDT when coupled to tumour-selective mAbs. [source]