What is the role of the surgeon in the management of head and neck mucosal melanoma in the immunotherapy era?

Introduction: The advent of immunotherapy has impacted both the management and, to a lesser extent, the outcomes for patients with head and neck mucosal melanoma. As a consequence, one might expect that the role of the surgeon would be limited to the diagnostic work-up and that systemic therapies would be the mainstay of treatment.

Methods And Results: Here, we present the surgical aspects of the recently published United Kingdom Head and Neck Mucosal Melanoma Guideline to highlight the continued role of surgeons in the management of this disease.

Head and neck mucosal melanoma: The United Kingdom national guidelines.

The United Kingdom head and neck mucosal melanoma guideline development group used an evidence-based systematic approach to make recommendations in key areas of uncertainty in the field, including accurate diagnosis and staging; the appropriate treatment pathway including surgery, adjuvant radiation and new systemic treatments, such as targeted agents and immunotherapy; and the surveillance of patients after treatment. The guidelines were sent for international peer review and have been accredited by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. A summary of key recommendations is presented.

Carbogen gas and radiotherapy outcomes in prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer hypoxia is associated with inferior prognosis and resistance to treatment. The use of androgen deprivation therapy, both prior to and during radiotherapy, may exacerbate underlying hypoxia. Whilst larger radiation doses per fraction may achieve therapeutic gain, this is balanced by the reduced opportunity for re-oxygenation to take place during the course of treatment.

Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in the management of locally advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomata (SCC): disease control and functional outcome using the therapy outcome measure (TOM) score--report from a single U.K. institution.

Introduction: This paper evaluates tumour control and toxicity especially in relation to swallowing dysfunction in those patients with locally advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who have undergone either primary chemo-radiation or post-operative parotid sparing IMRT. The TOM scoring system was used to assess dysphagia.

Methods: All patients with locally advanced (stage 3/4) squamous cell oropharyngeal cancer and who required either primary or post-operative RT were identified.

Snake venom for acute myocardial infarction: natural serendipity or an obstruction to treatment?

A 55-year-old man developed an acute myocardial infarction and was bitten by a snake with haemotoxic venom prior to any treatment being given. We discuss our treatment of myocardial infarction in a patient who had been unintentionally anticoagulated.