VISTA immune checkpoint blunts radiotherapy-induced antitumor immune response.

Radiotherapy (RT) is a key treatment for solid neoplasms like head and neck cancer (HNC), but it can also activate and recruit immunosuppressive myeloid cells, causing treatment failure. In this study, we examine the role of V-domain immunoglobulin suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) on myeloid cells during RT. We discovered high VISTA expression on myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of both murine and human HNC, with RT increasing VISTA myeloid cells in the TME and circulation.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancers.

: The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented disruptions to cancer care, including the care of head and neck cancer. Given the necessity of timely treatment for mucosal cancers, it is important to understand how the pandemic affected the diagnosis, presentation, and treatment of mucosal head and neck cancer. : The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with primary head and neck mucosal cancer.

Improved Visualization of Oropharyngeal Tumors Using Simple Maneuvers During Flexible Endoscopy.

Objectives: To describe patient positioning maneuvers that optimize visualization of the oropharynx during flexible endoscopyMethods:An institutional database of videos obtained from 2021 to 2023 during flexible endoscopy of patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) was reviewed. Patients seen outside the specialty head and neck clinic, those with tonsillar primary tumors, and those only with videos of fiberoptic swallowing evaluations were excluded. A total of 10 videos were then independently analyzed by 2 reviewers to assess the effects of 4 maneuvers on oropharyngeal tumor visualization: chin elevation, phonation, tongue protrusion, and contralateral head turn.

Clinicopathologic Features of Oral Verrucous Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To further characterize the clinicopathologic features of oral verrucous carcinoma.

Methods: In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of the Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane databases was performed in search of articles evaluating clinicopathologic features of oral verrucous carcinoma. Primary outcomes of interest included tumor subsites, T-staging, rates of cervical lymph node metastases, rates of distant metastases, 5-year survival (overall, disease-free, or disease-specific), and recurrence rates.

Factors Associated With Psychological Distress Among Thyroid Cancer Patients.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of psychological distress (PD) among thyroid cancer patients (TCPs) and identify clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors associated with PD.

Study Design: Retrospective population-based cohort study.

Setting: 2016 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey.

Comorbid Depression in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Compared With Other Cancers.

Importance: Depression is more prevalent among individuals with cancer than in the general population and is correlated with increased mortality in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) in particular.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of depression between patients with HNC and patients with other cancers.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study used population-level data on patients aged 18 years or older with cancer who participated in the 2019 National Health Interview Survey and had completed the Personal Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8).

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Thyroid Cancer Surgery.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to healthcare services in 2020, delaying cancer diagnosis and treatment. While early-stage thyroid cancer often progresses slowly, it is crucial to determine whether treatment delays associated with the pandemic have impacted the clinical presentation and management of advanced-stage thyroid cancer. The purpose of our study was to determine the impact of the early COVID-19 pandemic on thyroid cancer presentation and treatment times.

3D Printing for the Development of Palatal Defect Prosthetics.

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a promising new technology for the development of surgical prosthetics. Research in orthopedic surgery has demonstrated that using 3D printed customized prosthetics results in more precise implant placements and better patient outcomes. However, there has been little research on implementing customized 3D printed prosthetics in otolaryngology.

Toll-like Receptor Agonists Are Unlikely to Provide Benefits in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Recurrent and metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has poor survival rates. Immunotherapy is the standard of care for R/M HNSCC, but objective responses occur in a minority of patients. Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists promote antitumor immune responses and have been explored in clinical trials.

Suture Stenting After Sialendoscopy: A Novel Technique That Reduces Risk of Recurrent Parotitis.

Objective: Chronic sialadenitis is associated with decreased quality of life and recurrent infections. While sialendoscopy with stenting is effective in relieving symptoms of sialadenitis, currently available stents are rigid and poorly tolerated by patients, leading to early removal and potential for adverse scarring. This study examines whether sutures can be used as a stenting material to improve patient comfort and reduce recurrence risk.

Transoral Surgery in HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Carcinoma: Oncologic Outcomes in the Veterans Affairs System.

Objectives: Most transoral robotic surgery (TORS) literature for HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-OPC) derives from high-volume tertiary-care centers. This study aims to describe long-term recurrence and survival outcomes among Veterans Health Administration patients.

Materials And Methods: Using the US Veterans Affairs database, we identified patients with HPV-OPC treated with TORS between January 2010 and December 2016.

Local Tumor Behavior Associated With Survival Among Patients With Paraganglioma of the Head and Neck.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of -classified local tumor behavior as a prognosticator of head and neck paraganglioma (HNP) outcomes.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: National Cancer Database between 2004 and 2016.

Open and endoscopic surgery improve survival for squamous and nonsquamous cell nasopharyngeal carcinomas: An NCDB cohort study.

Background: Nasopharyngeal tumors (NPTs) are primarily treated with nonsurgical therapy. Recent studies have demonstrated endoscopic salvage surgery for NPT recurrences may improve survival relative to reirradiation. However, there are very limited data on open compared with endoscopic approaches for NPTs.

Circulating tumor DNA in head and neck cancer: Early successes and future promise.

The genetic components (DNA) of human papillomavirus-related throat cancer (in the oropharynx) might be measured after surgery to help to predict whether treatment has been successful.

Extrachromosomal DNA in HPV-Mediated Oropharyngeal Cancer Drives Diverse Oncogene Transcription.

Purpose: Human papillomavirus (HPV) plays a major role in oncogenesis and circular extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) is found in many cancers. However, the relationship between HPV and circular ecDNA in human cancer is not understood.

Experimental Design: Forty-four primary tumor tissue samples were obtained from a cohort of patients with HPV-positive oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).

Quality improvement intervention to reduce time to postoperative radiation in head and neck free flap patients.

Background: Best-practice guidelines for head and neck cancer patients advise postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) initiation within 6 weeks of surgery. We report our institutional experience improving timeliness of adjuvant radiation in free-flap patients.

Methods: Thirty-nine patients met inclusion criteria in the 2017-2019 study period.

Robotic surgery may improve overall survival for T1 and T2 tumors of the hypopharynx: An NCDB cohort study.

Background: Hypopharyngeal cancer is associated with poor survival. Robotic surgery is emerging as a treatment for hypopharyngeal tumors, but no rigorous data are available to assess its effect on survival.

Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was used to identify patients with T1 and T2 hypopharyngeal tumors undergoing robotic surgery, laser surgery, and primary radiation with or without chemotherapy from 2010 to 2016.

Scirrhous carcinoma: A previously undescribed tumor of the oral cavity.

This patient was found to have a scirrhous carcinoma with extensive perineural invasion and without any evidence of minor salivary gland carcinoma. To our knowledge, this is the first report of isolated scirrhous carcinoma of the oral cavity. Treatment was surgery and adjuvant chemoradiation, and there was complete disease response.

Prognostic Significance of HPV Status in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Large-Population Database Study.

Objective: To explore the survival implications of human papillomavirus (HPV) positivity and subtype in larynx cancer through a national cancer database. To investigate staging discrepancies in larynx cancer associated with HPV status.

Study Design: Retrospective observational cohort study.

Immunotherapy in sinonasal melanoma: treatment patterns and outcomes compared to cutaneous melanoma.

Background: Although treatment with checkpoint blockade is now accepted as standard of care for cutaneous melanoma, few studies have investigated its role in sinonasal melanoma (SNM). We aimed to evaluate whether immunotherapy was associated with improved survival in SNM and to compare the effect of immunotherapy in metastatic sinonasal and cutaneous melanoma.

Methods: This was a cohort study of patients included in the United States National Cancer Database who had been diagnosed with sinonasal or cutaneous melanoma between 2012 and 2015 and had complete information regarding immunotherapy status.

Oral Cavity Cancer Outcomes in Remote, Betel Nut-Endemic Pacific Islands.

Background: Oral cavity carcinomas individually are the fifth-leading cause of overall cancer mortality in the Northern Mariana Islands, which is likely a representative statistic for many other betel-nut-endemic Pacific islands. Factors associated with survival have been minimally evaluated in this region. The purpose of this study is to further characterize oral cavity carcinoma outcomes and associated prognostic factors in the United States commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

Meta-analysis of risk of occult lymph node metastasis in the irradiated, clinically N0 neck.

Background: Recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after radiation is associated with poor survival, and management of the clinically negative (N0) neck during salvage surgery is controversial.

Methods: Studies were selected according to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria were patients with HNSCC, prior radiation to the lateral neck nodal basin, undergoing salvage surgery for local recurrence, persistence or second primary, and N0 at time of salvage.

A Survey of Areca (Betel) Nut Use and Oral Cancer in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Areca nut use is a cause of higher rates of oral cavity cancer in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Little is known about patient insights into the risks of areca nut use worldwide. The purpose of this study is to evaluate perceptions of areca nut use and oral cancer among chewers in the CNMI.

Meta-analysis does not support routine traditional nuclear medicine studies for malignant otitis.

Objectives: The role of traditional nuclear medicine studies in the management of malignant otitis externa (MOE) is unclear and there are ongoing debates regarding their diagnostic value. The authors perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the sensitivity and specificity of traditional nuclear medicine studies in the diagnosis of MOE.

Methods: In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, a query of the Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases was undertaken.

Characterizing Posterior Neck Masses: A Single-Institution Retrospective and Systematic Review.

Objective: Posterior neck masses are a relatively poorly characterized entity. The authors attempt to further characterize the anatomy and pathology of the posterior neck by way of a combined single-institution retrospective chart review and systematic review of the literature.

Methods: A single-institution retrospective chart review was undertaken for all patients undergoing excision of a posterior neck mass between January 1, 2012, and January 1, 2017.