Cystic lymph node metastases of squamous cell carcinoma of Waldeyer's ring origin

We analysed in a retrospective study the frequency of cystic lymph node (LN) metastases in neck dissection specimens of 123 patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising in the palatine tonsils (62 M/14 F), the base of the tongue (38 M/5 F) and the nasopharynx (2 M/2 F). Eighty-two per cent of patients had metastases (64 tonsillar SCC, 33 base of tongue SCC and all four nasopharynx SCC) in 368 LN of a total 2298 sampled LN. Thirty-nine per cent of patients had exclusively solid metastases and 37% of patients had exclusively cystic metastases. A total of 62 patients had some signs of cyst formation in one or more metastatically affected LN (27 with only histological evidence of cyst formation with luminal diameters < 5 mm, 35 with clinically detectable cyst with luminal diameter > 5 mm). Cystic metastases were more common in patients with SCC of the base of the tongue (P = 0.005), while solitary clinically evident cystic metastasis with lumina > 5 mm were found exclusively in tonsillar carcinoma (P = 0.024). In comparison with solid metastases, cyst formation was associated with N-categories (N2b and N3, P = 0.005) in SCC of the base of the tongue origin. No such association was observed for tonsillar SCC (P = 0.65). The primary mechanism of cyst formation was cystic degeneration.     

Human papillomavirus-associated carcinomas in Hawaii and the mainland U.S

BACKGROUND: To the authors' knowledge, human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated carcinomas in Hawaii have not been studied in detail. METHODS: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data (from 1973-1996) were used to study rate of incidence patterns of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of the uterine cervix, vulva/vagina, anus, penis, and palatine tonsils among Asian/Pacific Islanders and whites in Hawaii and among whites in the U.S. in general. RESULTS: With the exception of invasive cervical SCC, male and female Asian/Pacific Islanders in Hawaii had considerably lower incidence rates of HPV-associated SCCs than Hawaii whites and U.S. whites. Among women, Hawaii whites and U.S. whites had rather similar rates of invasive anogenital and tonsillar SCCs, but in situ SCC of the cervix or vulva/vagina was diagnosed less often among Asian/Pacific Islanders and whites in Hawaii than among whites in the general U.S. Among men, Hawaii whites had higher rates than U.S. whites of both anal and tonsillar, but not penile, SCCs. Among Hawaiian men with anal carcinoma, 43% (15 of 35) had remained unmarried versus 3% (2 of 65) of Hawaiian women with anal carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Asian/Pacific Islanders in Hawaii generally have lower incidence rates of HPV-associated SCCs than whites. However, low ratios of in situ to invasive cervical SCCs suggest that many Hawaii women, notably Asian/Pacific Islanders, are not diagnosed and treated for cervical neoplasias at a preinvasive stage. The high rate of incidence of anal SCC in male Hawaiian whites and the high proportions of unmarried men among patients with this disease suggest the transmission of HPV through homosexual contact. These men may be targeted in future screening programs for anal carcinoma.     

Oral cavity and oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma with metastasis to the parotid lymph nodes

To increase awareness of the potential of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) to metastasize to the parotid region. We retrospectively reviewed patients who had undergone parotidectomy for metastatic oral or oropharyngeal SCC at a single tertiary care facility from January 1988 to January 2004. Exclusion criteria were a history of cutaneous SCC of head and neck or extension of primary tumor into the parotid gland. Twelve patients met study criteria. Parotid metastasis represented the initial disease manifestation in 4 cases. In 1 case, parotid metastasis presented synchronously with the primary tumor. Parotid metastasis represented recurrent disease in the other 7 cases. Primary subsites included tongue base (n=4), tonsil (n=3), lateral pharyngeal wall (n=2), oral floor (n=1), maxillary alveolus (n=1), and retromolar trigone (n=1). Pathologic findings showed grade 3 or 4 SCC in all patients. Parotid metastasis was located in the inferior parotid nodes in 7 cases; multiple superficial nodes, 3 cases; and both deep and superficial nodes, 2 cases. Oral and oropharyngeal SCC can metastasize to the intraparotid lymph nodes. The inferior parotid nodes are most commonly involved, and patients generally have substantial associated cervical metastases. When treating patients who have oral or oropharyngeal cancer with substantial cervical metastasis, physicians should consider removing the inferior parotid lymph nodes. We recommend that when intraparotid lymph node metastasis is detected, total parotidectomy and multidisciplinary adjuvant therapy should be conducted.     

Oral cavity and pharynx cancer incidence rates in the United States, 1975-1998

To identify subgroups of oral cavity and pharynx (OCP) cancers that may be etiologically distinct, we evaluated age-adjusted incidence rates by histologic type, anatomical site, race, and sex using cases diagnosed during 1975-1998 in nine US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program registries. Male/female rate ratios were about one for adenocarcinoma (AC), three or more for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and undetermined for Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Among males, black/white rate ratios exceeded two for cancers of the palate, tonsil, oropharynx, and pyriform sinus, and were less than one only for lip and salivary gland cancers. Among females, rates by race were similar for all oral sites except lip, but rates for each of the pharynx subsites were higher among blacks. Findings suggest that OCP cancers may be separated into SCC of the lip, SCC of the oral cavity, SCC of the pharynx, AC, and KS.     

Perivascular-submandibular lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and floor of mouth.

AIMS: The goal of this study was to investigate the incidence of occult metastasis in perivascular lymph node and nodal recurrence in these nodal pads in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue and floor of mouth. METHODS: We performed a prospective analysis of the incidence of an occult metastasis in the perivascular lymph nodes in 55 patients (41 with an oral tongue carcinoma and 14 with a mouth floor carcinoma) who underwent an elective supraomohyoid neck dissection (SOHND) for SCC of the tongue and floor of mouth, from 1997 to 2002. 99 SOHND procedures were performed as follows: 72 in tongue carcinomas and 27 in the mouth floor carcinomas. RESULT: Clinically occult, but pathologically positive perivascular lymph nodes occurred in four of 72 of the tongue carcinomas and two of 27 of the mouth floor carcinomas. The incidence of the regional recurrence at level I was three of 45. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary report reveals a small incidence of perivascular lymph-node metastases and the infrequent nodal recurrence in this area after SOHND in early-staged tongue and floor of mouth SCC.     

Poor prognosis in patients with stage I and II oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to compare survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral tongue with that in patients with SCC in other oral cavity subsites. METHODS: Patients with stage I and II (T1-T2N0M0) SCC of the oral cavity diagnosed between 1988 and 2004 were queried by using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The log-rank test was used to compare the overall survival (OS) and cause-specific survival (CSS) of patients who had oral tongue SCC with those of patients who had SCC of other oral cavity subsites. A Cox proportional hazards multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate the influence of covariates on the risk of CSS and OS. RESULTS: Between 1988 and 2004, 6791 patients with stage I and II SCC of the oral cavity were identified. Among them, 40% had oral tongue SCC, and 60% had SCC of other oral cavity subsites. The median patient age was 64 years. The 5-year OS and CSS rates were 60.9% and 83.5%, respectively, for patients with oral tongue SCC versus 64.7% and 94.1%, respectively, for patients with SCC of other oral cavity subsites (OS: hazard ratio, 1.24; P< .0001; CSS: hazard ratio, 3.04; P< .0001). On multivariate analysis, OS and CSS were influenced significantly by T classification, age, sex, and oral tongue subsite. The CSS for patients who had stage I and II oral tongue SCC also was unfavorable compared with the CSS for stage-matched patients who had SCC of other head and neck sites. CONCLUSIONS: Oral tongue SCC was associated with poor survival compared with other oral cavity and head and neck sites. These data suggested a potential benefit for multimodality therapy in this cohort of patients.     

Swallowing disorders in three types of head and neck surgical patients.

This study examined swallowing transit times and motility problems in three groups of patients following ablative surgery for oropharyngeal carcinoma and in a control group of 10 normal subjects. A total of 30 patients was studied: 10 after anterior floor of mouth resection, 12 after tonsil/base of tongue resection, and 8 after supraglottic laryngectomy. Videofluoroscopic studies of liquid, thin paste, thick paste, and thick paste plus liquid swallows were completed 1 week post-initiation of oral feeding following surgery. From the videotapes, oral and pharyngeal transit times were measured, and motility disturbances were defined during each stage of the swallow. All three types of patients in this study showed severe problems with swallowing. The anterior floor of mouth resection patients had problems with preparation for the swallow and oral transit. Tonsil/base of tongue resection patients had slowing in the preparation for the swallow and in the oral and pharyngeal stages. After supraglottic laryngectomy, patients showed only slight slowing in oral transit and pharyngeal transit as compared to other types of surgical patients.     

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tongue Dorsum: Incidence and Treatment Considerations

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue is the most common oral cancer. Most cases occur on the lateral border of the tongue and only very rarely on the dorsum. We retrospectively investigated the incidence of SCC of the tongue dorsum in our department between April 2006 and March 2015. Of the 368 patients with tongue cancer, only 3 had SCC of the tongue dorsum (incidence, 0.8 %). All patients with advanced cancer of the tongue dorsum underwent superselective intra-arterial chemoradiotherapy for organ preservation. We discuss the present findings in relation to past case reports and series in the English language literature as well as discuss treatments for SCC of the tongue dorsum.     

Trends in cause of death among patients with multiple myeloma in Puerto Rico and the United States SEER population, 1987–2013

Multiple myeloma (MM) survival has improved due to recent developments in MM treatment. As a result, other co-morbid conditions may be of increasing importance to MM patients’ long-term survival. This study examines trends in common causes of death among patients with MM in Puerto Rico, and in the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) population. We analyzed the primary cause of death among incident MM cases recorded in the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry (n = 3,018) and the US SEER Program (n = 67,733) between 1987 and 2013. We calculated the cumulative incidence of death due to the eight most common causes and analyzed temporal trends in mortality rates using joinpoint regression. Analyses of SEER were also stratified by Hispanic ethnicity. MM accounted for approximately 72% of all reported deaths among persons diagnosed with MM in Puerto Rico and in SEER. In both populations, the proportion of patients who died from MM decreased with increasing time since diagnosis. Age-standardized temporal trends showed a decreased MM-specific mortality rate among US SEER (annual percent change [APC] = −5.0) and Puerto Rican (APC = −1.8) patients during the study period, and particularly after 2003 in non-Hispanic SEER patients. Temporal decline in non-MM causes of death was also observed among US SEER (APC = −2.1) and Puerto Rican (APC = −0.1) populations. MM-specific mortality decreased, yet remained the predominant cause of death for individuals diagnosed with MM over a 26-year period. The most pronounced decreases in MM-specific death occurred after 2003, which suggests a possible influence of more recently developed MM therapies.     

Lung Cancer Incidence Trends in Black and White Young Adults by Gender (United States)

OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed temporal trends in lung cancer incidence rates for young adults, as an indicator of the recent and potential future impact of risk factor trends, by gender for blacks (African Americans) and whites in US geographic areas with high-quality cancer registries. The areas also varied in a tobacco control index (TCI) for 1992-1993. METHODS: Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) were analyzed for lung cancer diagnosed at age 20-44 years from 1973-1976 to 1997-2000 for blacks and whites by gender, using data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program. Recent trends (1989-1992 to 1997-2000) also were analyzed for each SEER area, which differed in the TCI. RESULTS: ASIRs declined for black and white men from 1973-1976 to 1997-2000, but not for black or white women after 1985-1988; the gender ratio (men/women) declined to reach 1.0 in whites and 1.4 in blacks. ASIRs decline from 1989-1992 to 1997-2000 for men in all but one of the SEER areas examined, but declines for women were largely limited to SEER areas in California, a state with a high (but not the highest) TCI. Black-white disparities in ASIRs persisted for all SEER areas combined and in each of the areas examined, and increased for women in the Detroit area. CONCLUSIONS: Continued surveillance of ASIRs in young adults is needed, but these data emphasize the need for tobacco control programs to include targeting women and blacks.     

A comparison of trends in the incidence rate of lung cancer by histological type in the Osaka Cancer Registry,Japan and in the Surveillance,Epidemiology and End Results Program,USA

Trends in the incidence rate of lung cancer by histological type were examined, based on data from the Osaka Cancer Registry (OCR), Japan and the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER), USA. Among males, an increasing trend was observed for adenocarcinoma in both registries. In the OCR, the incidence rate of adenocarcinoma has recently overtaken that of squamous cell carcinoma, whereas in the SEER, adenocarcinoma had already taken the lead since 1990-93. For squamous cell carcinoma, the decreasing trends in the OCR were consistent with a previous study, whereas in the SEER, the decline was earlier and steeper. For small cell carcinoma, the incidence rate was leveling off in the OCR, whereas it was already in decline in the SEER. For large cell carcinoma, the decreasing trend began earlier in the SEER. Among females in both registries, the incidence rate of adenocaricinoma has clearly been on the increase, whereas in other histological types the incidence rates were decreasing or at least leveling off. As for the age-specific incidence rate, different patterns were observed between the two registries: in the OCR, the incidence rate was on the increase in older age groups such as 70-74 years and also in younger age groups such as 45-49 years, whereas it decreased in intermediate age groups such as 55-59. In contrast, stable decreasing trends were observed in the SEER, except for adenocarcinoma. The increase in incidence rate observed among younger age groups in the OCR should be carefully monitored.     

Oral lichenoid contact reactions may occasionally transform into malignancy.

The purpose was to identify cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue, in which a biopsy taken at the site preceding the cancer could be verified to show a lichenoid contact type of reaction (LCR). We retrieved all 724 SCC of the tongue from the Swedish Cancer Registry in the period 1995-2000. These cases were cross-searched with our own oral biopsy data files from 1988 to 1994, in order to identify biopsies with LCR-type lesions preceding the cancer. We found four verified and some additional tentative cases. The study demonstrated that there is a low incidence of malignant transformation in LCR-type oral lesions, not much different from what has been previously reported in oral lichen planus.     

The oral cancer epidemic in central and eastern Europe

To monitor recent trends in oral and pharyngeal cancer mortality in 38 European countries, we analyzed data provided by the World Health Organization over the period 1975–2004. Joinpoint analysis was used to identify significant changes in trends. In the European Union (EU), male mortality rates rose by 2.1% per year between 1975 and 1984, by 1.0% between 1984 and 1993, and declined by 1.3% between 1993 and 2004, to reach an overall age‐standardized rate of 6.1/100,000 in 2000–2004. Mortality rates were much lower in women, and the rate in the EU rose by 0.9% per year up to 2000, and levelled off to 1.1/100,000 in 2000–2004. In France and Italy—which had the highest rates in the past—male rates have steadily declined during the last two decades (annual percent change, APC = ?4.8% in 1998–2004 in France and ?2.6% in 1986–2003 in Italy). Persisting rises were, however, observed in several central and eastern European countries, with exceedingly high rates in Hungary (21.1/100,000; APC = 6.9% in 1975–1993 and 1.4% in 1993–2004) and Slovakia (16.9/100,000; APC = 0.14% in 1992–2004). In middle aged (35 to 64) men, oral and pharyngeal cancer mortality rates in Hungary (55.3/100,000) and Slovakia (40.8/100,000) were comparable to lung cancer rates in several major European countries. The highest rates for women were in Hungary (3.3/100,000; APC = 4.7% in 1975–2004) and Denmark (1.6/100,000; APC = 1.3% in 1975–2001). Oral and pharyngeal cancer mortality essentially reflects the different patterns in tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking, including drinking patterns and type of alcohol in central Europe.     

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis from carcinoma of the palatine tonsil

Distant metastases from carcinoma of the palatine tonsil are very uncommon. We encountered a case of a carcinoma involving the tonsillar region that resulted in subarachnoid mestastases following local radical radiotherapy. Metastases were diagnosed following magnetic resonance imaging and spinal fluid cytology. The patient succumbed to the disease after a rapid downhill course, 1 month following diagnosis of the secondary deposit. The present paper describes the rare site of distant metastasis and reviews the relevant literature.     

Trends in pancreatic cancer incidence in nine SEER Cancer Registries, 1973-2002.

BACKGROUND: The evolution of pancreatic cancer incidence in the last three decades in the United States remains unclear. This study was conducted to investigate this problem, using data from the nine registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The incidence data in 1973-2002 were age standardized to the 2000 USA standard population and analyzed by the joinpoint regression. RESULTS: For the nine registries combined, pancreatic cancer incidence in men significantly decreased by 0.62% per year from 1973 to 2002. Incidence in women increased until 1984 and slowly declined thereafter. A rise in incidence, although not statistically significant, has been noted in young and middle-aged adults (<60 years) since 1994. Changes in incidence over time substantially differed among the nine SEER registries compared. Incidence decreased in most age-, sex-, and race-specific groups of the populations covered in the nine registries during the period examined. Conversely, a statistically significant increase in incidence was observed among women in Hawaii and Iowa and among old adults (> or =60 years) in Seattle and Utah. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic cancer incidence significantly decreased from 1973 to 2002 in men and increased until 1984 and then declined slowly in women in the United States.     

HPV检测原发灶不明颈淋巴结转移癌的诊断作用初探(附6例报告)

目的 初步探讨HPV检测在诊断原发灶不明的颈淋巴结转移性鳞癌中的价值。方法 收集复旦大学附属肿瘤医院6例首诊为原发灶不明的颈淋巴结转移性鳞癌,最终确诊为HPV相关口咽鳞癌,分析确诊过程。结果 首诊时6例患者均被确诊为颈淋巴结转移性鳞癌,且p16表达阳性和HPV-16亚型阳性,而EBER表达阴性。经全面检查均未发现明显的原发病灶。随后对其中4例予同侧扁桃体盲检(2例)和切除(2例),病理均证实为扁桃体鳞癌。另2例分别在随访第149天、545天MRI检查发现同侧口咽侧壁和舌根增厚伴强化,经活检分别证实为扁桃体鳞癌、舌根鳞癌。结论 对于原发灶不明的HPV阳性颈淋巴结转移性鳞癌,应高度怀疑原发病灶来源于口咽部位的可能性,特别是扁桃体和舌根部位。     

Primary Small Cell Carcinoma of the Tonsil: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Small cell cancer (SCC) of the tonsil is a rare and aggressive cancer. There are only 10 cases of tonsillar SCC reported in the English literature. We present a case of tonsillar SCC successfully treated with induction chemotherapy using carboplatin and etoposide followed by concurrent chemoradiation therapy with cisplatin as radiosensitizer. The patient remained free of recurrence after 3 years of follow-up. We also provide a succinct review of all tonsillar SCC cases reported in the English literature and their outcomes.Key words: Tonsillar cancer, Neuroendocrine tumor, Small cell cancer, Carboplatin, Etoposide