The lymph node ratio is a prognostic factor for survival in laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Introduction: The lymph-node yield and the lymph-node ratio have emerged as important prognostic tools for head and neck cancer. These metrics are an index of disease burden, but also of quality standards. The objective of the present study was to examine the impact of different lymph-node yield cut-offs and the lymph-node ratio on 10-year recurrence-free interval and overall-survival.

The Effect of Patient Frailty on Morbidity, Mortality and Overall Survival Following Laryngectomy Procedures.

Background: The present study evaluated the impact of frailty on patient morbidity and survival following laryngectomy surgery.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing laryngectomy over a 10-year period. Frailty was measured using the 5-item modified Frailty Index (5mFI).

Association of Hypothyroidism With Wound Complications Post-Laryngectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Patients undergoing laryngectomy may be rendered hypothyroid following surgery or due to radiation therapy. Hypothyroidism impairs wound healing, which may increase the risk of wound complications such as pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF). This study aims to investigate if hypothyroidism is associated with post-laryngectomy wound complications.

Longitudinal and multisite sampling reveals mutational and copy number evolution in tumors during metastatic dissemination.

To understand genetic evolution in cancer during metastasis, we analyzed genomic profiles of 3,732 cancer patients in whom several tumor sites were longitudinally biopsied. During distant metastasis, tumors were observed to accumulate copy number alterations (CNAs) to a much greater degree than mutations. In particular, the development of whole genome duplication was a common event during metastasis, emerging de novo in 28% of patients.

Margins do not impact recurrence and survival in advanced laryngeal cancer - A retrospective cohort analysis.

Objective: Surgery for advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) aims for complete tumor removal with clear margins, yet the prognostic significance of margin status remains uncertain. This study evaluates the impact of margin status on relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients undergoing total laryngectomy.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

The association of frailty with morbidity following surgical tracheostomy.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess whether frailty (measured using the 5-Item Modified Frailty Index) was associated with increased morbidity following surgical tracheostomy.

Methods: A single-centre retrospective cohort study analysed a prospectively maintained database between 2022 and 2023. Univariable and multivariable regressions were used to determine factors (including frailty) associated with increased morbidity.

Frailty adversely affects outcome following free-flap reconstruction in patients with head and neck cancer.

Introduction: Frailty is a multisystem aging-associated syndrome characterised by physiological decline and increased vulnerability to stressors. There will be a need for elderly, and possibly frail patients, to undergo complex and lengthy free-flap reconstruction for large head-and-neck defects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact that frailty has on post-operative complications, functional outcomes, and overall survival in this cohort.

Prediction of checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy efficacy for cancer using routine blood tests and clinical data.

Predicting whether a patient with cancer will benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) without resorting to advanced genomic or immunologic assays is an important clinical need. To address this, we developed and evaluated SCORPIO, a machine learning system that utilizes routine blood tests (complete blood count and comprehensive metabolic profile) alongside clinical characteristics from 9,745 ICI-treated patients across 21 cancer types. SCORPIO was trained on data from 1,628 patients across 17 cancer types from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Determining Factors Which Limit Resectability in Advanced Hypopharyngeal Malignancy.

Background: Preoperative radiological findings of hypopharyngeal cancers are used to determine suitability for surgical resection. We sought to examine preoperative imaging characteristics to determine how well imaging findings predicted surgical resectability.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study of patients undergoing a pharyngolaryngectomy in a tertiary referral center over a 2-year period was completed.

Thyroid cancer epidemiology in Ireland from 1994 to 2019 - Rising diagnoses without mortality benefit.

Background: The epidemiology and management of thyroid cancer has changed radically in the recent past, with rising international incidence of early-stage papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) in particular. In this paper, we review the epidemiology of thyroid cancer in Ireland.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of National Cancer Registry of Ireland data, 1994-2019.

The association of frailty with morbidity and mortality following major mucosal head and neck surgery.

Objectives: Frailty refers to a state of reduced physiological reserve and functional decline. We sought to analyse whether frailty, assessed using the 5-item modified frailty index (5mFI), was associated with increased morbidity and mortality following major mucosal head and neck surgery.

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients undergoing major mucosal head and neck surgical resection over a 2-year period.

The effectiveness of neck stretching exercises in alleviating neck pain and self-reported disability after thyroidectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.

Thyroidectomy can lead to significant challenges such as neck pain, disability, and limited range of motion. Therefore, our objective is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials to investigate the clinical effectiveness of neck stretching exercises in alleviating neck pain and self-reported disability immediately after thyroidectomy. We systematically searched PubMed, CENTRAL, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception until July 28th, 2023.

Outcomes of SMARCB1-deficient sinonasal carcinoma: Largest single-center cross-sectional study.

Background: We evaluate outcomes of SMARCB1-deficient sinonasal carcinomas in the largest single-institution study.

Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study of patients with SMARCB1-deficient sinonasal carcinoma between 1998 and 2024. Disease-specific survival (DSS) and recurrence-free probability (RFP) at 1 and 5 years were measured by Kaplan-Meier method.

Airway decision making in major head and neck surgery: Irish multicenter, multidisciplinary recommendations.

Major head and neck surgery poses a threat to perioperative airway patency. Adverse airway events are associated with significant morbidity, potentially leading to hypoxic brain injury and even death. Following a review of the literature, recommendations regarding airway management in head and neck surgery were developed with multicenter, multidisciplinary agreement among all Irish head and neck units.

VEXAS syndrome as a cause for multifocal, relapsing head and neck inflammation.

VEXAS syndrome (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) is a novel autoinflammatory syndrome. We describe a case of VEXAS syndrome with upper airway and oral cavity involvement which are not well described in the literature.

Defining the Genomic Landscape of Diffuse Sclerosing Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Prognostic Implications of RET Fusions.

Background: Diffuse sclerosing papillary thyroid carcinoma (DSPTC) is an aggressive histopathologic subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Correlation between genotype and phenotype has not been comprehensively described. This study aimed to describe the genomic landscape of DSPTC comprehensively using next-generation sequencing (NGS), analyze the prognostic implications of different mutations, and identify potential molecular treatment targets.

HPV overtakes smoking as the leading cause of oropharyngeal cancer in Ireland: experience of a head and neck surgery tertiary referral centre.

Background: Worldwide, the incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus, is increasing. This increase has yet to be demonstrated in an Irish cohort.

Aims: To evaluate the number of OPSCC presentations locally, to stratify cases by HPV status and to estimate if any changes in the patient population had occurred over a 10-year period.

Fatal cerebritis and ventriculitis secondary to tracheoesophageal prosthesis.

Tracheoesophageal puncture and voice prosthesis placement is the preferred method of voice restoration following total laryngectomy. Although this is a safe and effective means of optimizing voice, severe complications can occur. We present the case of a patient who developed cerebritis and ventriculitis secondary to a tracheoesophageal prosthesis eroding his cervical vertebrae 20 years following pharyngo-laryngo-esophagectomy.

The role of surgery for anaplastic thyroid carcinoma in the era of targeted therapeutics: A scoping review.

Background: Questions exist regarding patient selection for surgery in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC), particularly with the advent of neoadjuvant-targeted therapeutics. The present scoping review sought to evaluate what extent of surgical resection should be performed in ATC.

Methods: A scoping review was carried out in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute and the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) protocols.

Virtual Surgical Planning and Three-Dimensional Models for Precision Sinonasal and Skull Base Surgery.

Sinonasal and skull base malignancies represent a rare, heterogenous group of pathologies with an incidence of 0.556 per 100,000 persons in the population. Given the numerous critical anatomic structures located adjacent to the sinonasal cavity and skull base, surgery for tumors in this region requires careful pre-operative planning with the assistance of radiological imaging and intraoperative image guidance technologies to reduce the risk of complications.

Understanding frozen section histopathology in Sinonasal and anterior skull base malignancy and proposed reporting guidelines.

Background: Intraoperative frozen section histopathology (IFSH) in sinonasal and skull base surgery although widely used is not well studied.

Methods: We reviewed a database of sinonasal and anterior skull base tumors, between 1973 and 2019, and identified 312 suitable operative cases. Clinicopathologic data was collected and analyzed, in addition to descriptive data for histopathological reports classified as "ambiguous," or "limited/insufficient-quality/quantity.

Diffuse Sclerosing Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognostic Implications Compared with Classic and Tall Cell Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Background: The clinical behaviour and oncologic outcome of diffuse sclerosing papillary thyroid carcinoma (DS-PTC) is poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to compare the clinicopathological characteristics and oncological outcomes of DS-PTC to classic PTC (cPTC) and tall cell PTC (TC-PTC).

Methods: After institutional review board approval, 86 DS-PTC, 2,080 cPTC, and 701 TC-PTC patients treated at MSKCC between 1986 and 2021 were identified.