Association of Oral Health Determinants With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Never-Smoking Adults.

Background: The incidence of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is increasing among non-smokers. This study investigates the association between local and systemic oral health determinants and OCSCC in never-smoking adults.

Methods: A case-control study using the National Institutes of Health All of Us database was conducted.

Adjuvant Proton Beam Radiation Therapy for Sinonasal Mucosal Melanoma.

Background: Head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM) is rare and carries a poor prognosis with high rates of disease progression. There is little data regarding the use of adjuvant proton radiation therapy in the management of sinonasal HNMM.

Aims: We performed a retrospective review of patients with nonmetastatic sinonasal HNMM treated with adjuvant proton radiation from 2012 to 2022 at a single academic institution.

Prevention and Management of Osteoradionecrosis in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Treated With Radiation Therapy: ISOO-MASCC-ASCO Guideline.

Purpose: To provide evidence-based recommendations for prevention and management of osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the jaw secondary to head and neck radiation therapy in patients with cancer.

Methods: The International Society of Oral Oncology-Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (ISOO-MASCC) and ASCO convened a multidisciplinary Expert Panel to evaluate the evidence and formulate recommendations. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for randomized controlled trials and observational studies, published between January 1, 2009, and December 1, 2023.

Clarification of the margin status by the multidisciplinary tumor board following transoral robotic surgery for p16 positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objectives: Margin status interpretation following transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is challenging. This study aims to assess the discrepancy between status of margins as reported by the pathologist versus as determined by multi-disciplinary team review (MDTB).

Methods: A retrospective study of 57 patients with OPSCC who underwent TORS from January 2010 to December 2016 was conducted.

Radiation therapy for low- and high-risk perineural invasion in head and neck cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: Clinical outcomes and patterns of failure.

Background: Perineural invasion (PNI) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) portends poor prognosis. Extent of treatment of nerve pathways with varying degrees of PNI and patterns of failure following elective neural radiotherapy (RT) remain unclear.

Methods: Retrospective review of HNSCC patients with high-risk (clinical/gross, large-nerve, extensive) or low-risk (microscopic/focal) PNI who underwent curative-intent treatment from 2010 to 2021.

Oncologic outcomes of salvage surgery and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A single-institution retrospective study.

Background: Survival outcomes in recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are poor. This study aimed to compare survival outcomes between salvage surgery and immunotherapy in patients with recurrent advanced HNSCC.

Methods: Patients with advanced stage (stage III or IV) recurrent HNSCC following treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy were included.

Performance status (PS) as a predictor of poor response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer (RMHNSCC) patients.

Background: Anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) represent an established standard-of-care for patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (RMHNSCC). Landmark studies excluded patients with ECOG performance status (PS) ≥2; the benefit of ICI in this population is therefore unknown.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed RMHNSCC patients who received 1+ dose of ICI at our institution between 2013 and 2019.

Impact of HPV status on immune responses in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

The main objective of our study was to understand the impact of immune cell composition and the tumor-reactivity of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in HPV-positive (HPV) and HPV-negative (HPV) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). TIL cultures were established from primary HNSCC tumors, the T cell subsets were phenotypically characterized using flow cytometry, and Interferon (IFN)-γ ELISA assay was used to determine TIL function. NanoString Immune Profiler was used to determine an immune signature by HPV-status, and multiplex immunohistochemistry (MIHC) was used to quantify immune cell distributions and their spatial relationships.

High End-of-Life Health Care Utilization in a Contemporary Cohort of Head and Neck Cancer Patients Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

End-of-life health care utilization (EOLHCU) is largely uncharacterized among patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (RMHNSCC), particularly now that immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have been introduced to the treatment landscape. We examined this in a single-institution, retrospective study. We utilized a database of deceased, ICI-treated RMHNSCC patients to obtain demographic and EOLHCU data, the latter of which included advanced care plan documentation (ACPD) and systemic therapy or emergency room (ER)/hospital/intensive care unit (ICU) admission within 30 days of death (DOD).

Prediction of survival of HPV16-negative, p16-negative oral cavity cancer patients using a 13-gene signature: A multicenter study using FFPE samples.

Objectives: To test the performance of an oral cancer prognostic 13-gene signature for the prediction of survival of patients diagnosed with HPV-negative and p16-negative oral cavity cancer.

Materials And Methods: Diagnostic formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded oral cavity cancer tumor samples were obtained from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/University of Washington, University of Calgary, University of Michigan, University of Utah, and seven ARCAGE study centers coordinated by the International Agency of Research on Cancer. RNA from 638 Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-negative and p16-negative samples was analyzed for the 13 genes using a NanoString assay.

The role of elective neck dissection in high-grade parotid malignancy: A hospital-based cohort study.

Objectives/hypothesis: The role of elective neck dissection (END) in patients with clinically N0 (cN0), high-grade parotid carcinoma is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess the association between END and survival in patients with cN0, high-grade parotid carcinoma.

Study Design: Retrospective, multicenter cohort study.

Wound Complications in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas After Anti-PD-1 Therapy.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated activity in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer, but less is known regarding their long-term sequelae. We describe four patients who, after complete responses to anti-PD-1 therapy, developed complications requiring surgical intervention. Patient 1 is a 57-year-old female whose marked tumor regression exposed some mandibular hardware.

What Is the Role of Elective Neck Dissection in the Management of Patients With Buccal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Clinically Negative Neck?

Purpose: Buccal squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) is rare in the United States. Given its location, few anatomic barriers to spread exist and it has been found to have a high locoregional recurrence rate. The role of elective neck dissection (END) in patients with clinically negative neck (N0) is not clear.

Patterns of cervical node positivity, regional failure rates, and fistula rates for HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with transoral robotic surgery (TORS).

Objectives: (1) Report the patterns of cervical node positivity for HPV + oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) treated with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and a unilateral level II-IV node dissection. (2) Investigate the regional failure rate following this operation. (3) Report the rate of pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) formation intraoperatively and postoperatively following TORS/neck dissection.

Treatment of Tonsillar Carcinoma following Nononcologic Tonsillectomy: Efficacy of Transoral Robotic Revision Tonsillectomy.

Objective: To evaluate whether transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is a suitable treatment approach for patients diagnosed with tonsillar carcinoma after a standard palatine tonsillectomy.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary care medical center.

Global Mortality From Firearms, 1990-2016.

Importance: Understanding global variation in firearm mortality rates could guide prevention policies and interventions.

Objective: To estimate mortality due to firearm injury deaths from 1990 to 2016 in 195 countries and territories.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This study used deidentified aggregated data including 13 812 location-years of vital registration data to generate estimates of levels and rates of death by age-sex-year-location.

Craniofacial osteomyelitis evolving from sinusitis.

Craniofacial osteomyelitis progression is rare, as patients are soon treated. A 56-year-old male smoker presented with sinusitis and was managed medically. This patient failed to follow up and presented 1 year later with erosive bony disease.

A Phase I Clinical Trial of AZD1775 in Combination with Neoadjuvant Weekly Docetaxel and Cisplatin before Definitive Therapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The WEE1 tyrosine kinase regulates G-M transition and maintains genomic stability, particularly in p53-deficient tumors which require DNA repair after genotoxic therapy. Thus, a need arises to exploit the role of WEE1 inhibition in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) mostly driven by tumor-suppressor loss. This completed phase I clinical trial represents the first published clinical experience using the WEE1 inhibitor, AZD1775, with cisplatin and docetaxel.

Post-operative therapy following transoral robotic surgery for unknown primary cancers of the head and neck.

Objectives: Our primary objective is to describe the post- operative management in patients with an unknown primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) treated with trans-oral robotic surgery (TORS).

Materials & Methods: We conducted a retrospective multi-institutional case series including all patients diagnosed with an unknown primary HNSCC who underwent TORS to identify the primary site from January 1, 2010 to June 30, 2016. We excluded those with recurrent disease, ≤6months of follow up from TORS, previous history of radiation therapy (RT) to the head and neck, or evidence of primary tumor site based on previous biopsies.

Methods to reduce postoperative surgical site infections after head and neck oncology surgery.

Head and neck cancer surgery is often a complex multi-step procedure that includes major resections, vascularised tissue reconstruction, and extensive neck dissection. The upper aerodigestive tract mucosal lining is often disrupted during surgery, which requires the management of a clean-contaminated field and the need to reconstruct the mucosal lining. With bacterial contamination, surgical site infections (SSI) are a serious complication that can result in delayed wound healing, wound breakdown, fistula formation, and compromised tissue reconstruction.

Unfavorable Results After Free Tissue Transfer to Head and Neck: Lessons Learned at the University of Washington.

This article discusses the lessons learned from nearly 2700 free tissue transfer procedures to reconstruct defects of the head and neck at the University of Washington. It discusses the authors' perioperative management practices regarding perioperative tracheotomy tube placement, their method of postoperative flap monitoring, and their current protocol for use of postoperative antibiotics. It reports on the reconstructive preferences for 2 difficult defects that frequently result in unfavorable outcomes: the total glossectomy defect and the pharyngolaryngectomy defect.