Mixed squamous cell carcinoma and follicular carcinoma of the thyroid gland

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland (PSCCT) is rare and its aetiology is debated. A 67-year-old man presented with neck mass. Fine-needle-aspiration (FNA) cytology and through-cut biopsy were suggestive of poorly differentiated or anaplastic carcinoma. The patient was offered tracheostomy and palliative cure for unresectable tumor of the thyroid; he refused and decided for other opinion. Lobe-isthmusectomy was performed with diagnostic and debulking intent. Final pathology report was of mixed squamous cell and follicular carcinoma of the thyroid. The tumor was a PSCCT. The patient underwent adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. After 2 years, an iliac crest metastasis of follicular carcinoma was diagnosed. The patient is disease free, after surgery and radio-active-iodine treatment. The hypothesis of squamous cell carcinoma transformation from well differentiated thyroid cancer has to be considered in case of PSCCT. Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland (PSCCT) is rare [1-3]; different theories on its aetiology do exist [4-6]. Mixed squamous cell and follicular carcinoma is even more rare than pure squamous cell of the thyroid gland and only few cases are reported in literature [7]. Preoperative diagnosis can be very challenging and the differential diagnosis with secondary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid (SSCCT) is manadatory in order to plan a correct management of the disease. The presence of PSCCT with distant metastasis of follicular carcinoma supports the histogenesis of squamous cell carcinomas arising from follicular epithelial cells.     

Two sites of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: utility of loss of heterozygosity

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of distant metastasis and second primary tumors is increasing with improved locoregional control in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Traditionally, clinicopathologic evidence has been the gold standard used to distinguish distant metastasis from second primary tumors. We report a case in which loss of heterozygosity testing was used to clarify the clonal relationship between the 2 sites of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: A patient with squamous cell carcinoma in the larynx and mandible underwent loss of heterozygosity testing. RESULTS: The loss of heterozygosity testing confirmed that the mandibular cancer was a metastatic presentation of the laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that loss of heterozygosity testing can be useful in differentiating distant metastasis from second primary cancers in patients with 2 sites of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, consequently providing important prognostic and staging information.     

Carcinoma cuniculatum mimicking leukoplakia of the mandibular gingiva

Carcinoma cuniculatum (CC) is a rare variant of low-grade squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and occurrence in the oral cavity is quite unusual. CC has a papillomatous keratinized surface like verrucous carcinoma, but CC has a propensity for aggressive local invasion, especially into the bone. Therefore, CC can be quite difficult to remove surgically. A 68-year-old man presented with a case of CC mimicking verrucous leukoplakia in the mandibular gingiva. Repeated biopsies showed no malignancy. Local resection was performed, and histological examination revealed the presence of well-differentiated SCC. Additional hemi-mandibulectomy was performed and the final histological diagnosis was CC. Local recurrence was detected at the 14-month follow-up examination. Chemotherapy with docetaxel was not effective, and he died of aspiration pneumonia. CC of the oral cavity is a rare entity and the diagnosis is hard to establish. Misdiagnosis could result in inadequate removal and local recurrence. Complete resection with a safety margin is essential because of the tendency for local invasion.     

A matched survival analysis for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in the elderly

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether elderly patients manifest poorer survivals for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: Cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the glottic larynx, oral tongue, and tonsil were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database for 1988 to 1998. For each primary site, patients were segregated into two age groups: 50 to 69 years of age and 70 years of age and older. For each case in the latter, elderly group, a reference group case was randomly matched for gender, year of diagnosis, cancer stage, extent of surgery, and radiation therapy. Overall survival and disease-specific survival were compared between the two groups with stage stratification with the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Cases of glottic carcinoma (1882), tongue carcinoma (426), and tonsillar carcinoma (200) in elderly patients were matched to the reference group. Overall mean survival differences were significant for glottic carcinoma (73.9 vs. 96.7 mo, elderly and younger groups, respectively) (P <.001) and tongue carcinoma (59.5 vs. 73.1 mo) ( P=.002) but not for tonsillar carcinoma (46.0 vs. 54.4 mo) ( P=.220). Disease-specific survival differences were significant but small in magnitude for glottic carcinoma (105.9 vs. 114.1 mo, respectively (P <.001) and tongue carcinoma (81.6 vs. 93.6 mo) (P =.009) but not for tonsillar carcinoma (71.5 vs. 70.7 mo) (P =.422). However, after stage stratification, elderly patients often did not exhibit statistically or practically significant poorer overall or disease-specific survivals. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients do not necessarily exhibit clinically significant poorer survivals for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Age alone should not be used to determine treatment options for elderly patients with squamous cell carcinoma.     

Presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis in gingival squamous cell carcinoma

Periodontal disease has been recently linked to a variety of systemic conditions such as diabetes,cardiovascular disease,preterm delivery,and oral cancer.The most common bacteria associated with periodontal disease,Porphyromonas gingivalis(P.gingivalis)has not yet been studied in the malignant gingival tissues.The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of P.gingivalis in specimens from squamous cell carcinoma patients.We have performed immunohistochemical staining to investigate the presence of P.gingivalis and Streptococcus gordonii(S.gordonf),a non invasive oral bacteria,in paraffin embedded samples of gingival squamous cell carcinoma(n=10)and normal gingiva(n=5).Staining for P.gingivalis revealed the presence of the bacteria in normal gingival tissues and gingival carcinoma,with higher levels(more than 33%,P＜0.05)detected in the carcinoma samples.The staining intensity was also significantly enhanced in the malignant tissue by 2 folds(P＜0.023)compared to specimens stained for the non-invasive S.gordonii.P.gingivalis is abundantly present in malignant oral epithelium suggesting a potential association of the bacteria with gingival squamous cell carcinoma.     

Pituitary-adrenal dysfunction caused by nivolumab for head and neck cancer

Nivolumab exerts antitumor effects by inhibiting binding of PD-L1 to PD-1, and offers proven effectiveness in various disease areas, including cancers of the head and neck. The mechanisms of action lead nivolumab to induce immune-related adverse events (irAE). We report a case of pituitary-adrenal dysfunction to isolated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency as an irAE of nivolumab in a patient treated for head and neck cancer. This is the first report of an irAE of nivolumab in the field of head and neck squamous cell cancer. The patient was a man in his 50s with cancer of the tongue and hypopharynx that recurred after chemoradiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy. After starting nivolumab, irAEs developed after 8 courses. The case was managed from the early stages in collaboration with the endocrinology department. Pituitary-adrenal hypofunction due to isolated ACTH deficiency was diagnosed on the basis of endocrine tests. The patient responded to hydrocortisone replacement therapy and has been able to continue treatment with nivolumab while continuing oral hydrocortisone. Although irAEs involving pituitary gland disorders are rare, these events can become life-threatening when severe. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential and require regular blood sampling and collaboration with specialists from an early stage.     

Combined small cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx

We report an extremely rare case of combined small cell carcinoma (combined SmCC) of the hypopharynx. A 73-year-old male presented with multiple left neck swellings for 1 month. A tumorous lesion was found in the left pyriform sinus, and biopsy revealed that the lesion was squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC). Surgery was performed and pathological examination led to a diagnosis as combined SmCC, composed of SqCC and small cell carcinoma (SmCC). One month after surgery, a contrast-CT indicated metastases to the cervical lymph node (LN), mediastinum and liver. We performed 5 courses of chemotherapy with the use of cisplatin (CDDP) and irinotecan (CPT-11). The patient temporarily showed a favorable response to the chemotherapy; however, eventually he died of regrowth of the tumor. Combined SmCC is a disease with a poor prognosis. Although biopsy sometimes fails to detect the SmCC component, intensive diagnosis and treatment are necessary.     

多重癌的临床分析

目的探讨先证舌鳞状上皮癌(简称鳞癌)多重癌的临床特点和预后。方法中山大学肿瘤防治中心头颈科1992年1月～2001年12月收治580例舌鳞癌患者中,48例多重癌,其中先证舌鳞癌19例,回顾分析其临床和随访资料,探讨其临床特点和预后;Kaplan- Meier方法计算累积生存率。结果全组患者总的3年、5年生存率分别为30.3%、20.2%;第二原发癌19例包括口腔鳞癌9例(舌癌5例、软腭癌2例,口底和牙龈癌各1例)、食管鳞癌4例(其中发生在颈段1例)、肺癌3例,腮腺腺癌、喉鳞癌和乳腺腺癌各1例。两癌发生的中位时间间隔为78个月(范围:6～132个月)。结论舌鳞癌多重癌占全部舌鳞癌患者的8.1%,其中39.5%为先证舌鳞癌;第二原发癌63.1%发生在头颈部,该类患者预后较差,故加强舌鳞癌患者的随访及时发现第二原发癌甚为重要。     

Spindle cell lipoma of the mandibular mucogingiva unction： a case report of unusual oral neoplasm

Spindle cell lipoma（SCL） is a benign lipomatous neoplasm typically located in the posterior neck and back of older males. It presents as a well-circumscribed mass in the buccal mucosa, tongue, floor of the mouth or hard palate. There are only two case reports of SCL in the gingiva and alveolar ridge. Here, we report a case of SCL in the mandibular mucogingival junction of a 68-year-old male. Clinical,histopathological and immunohistochemical findings are presented. Although oral SCL is rare, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of spindle cell neoplasms occurring in the oral cavity.     

Recurrent squamous cell carcinoma in the neopharynx treated successfully with topical 5-fluorouracil

We present the first reported case of a squamous cell carcinoma recurrence on a reconstructed flap in the pharynx treated successfully with topical chemotherapy. The patient, treated for a pharyngeal cancer with resection and reconstruction with a free radial forearm flap, and post-operative radiotherapy, developed a tumour on the flap more than two years after surgery. The recurrence was also squamous carcinoma, but there was only superficial infiltration. This was treated with 5-fluorouracil paste placed in the pharynx, with resolution of the tumour. The patient was alive and well more than 28 months after this treatment, with no sign of disease recurrence. Topical chemotherapy for treatment of oral cancer is well described for early disease, but we show that it may be a useful treatment in recurrent disease in selected patients.     

Cancer of the oral cavity in Nigerian Igbos

An unselected biopsy material of 31 Nigerian Igbo patients with cancer of the oral cavity is presented. The descending order of localization was gingiva, palate, tongue and floor of mouth. Burkitt's tumour was limited to the jaw and affected older rather than younger children. There was scarcely any preponderance of squamous cell carcinoma in males. It would appear that cancer of the oral cavity is not a great problem in the Igbos and that potent carcinogens concerned with the causation are lacking in the community.     

Uncommon metastatic site of renal adenocarcinoma: the oral tongue

Primary tumours metastasizing to the tongue are very unusual and only anecdotal cases have been reported. An exhaustive literature review covering the period from 1970 onwards disclosed only 22 cases of renal adenocarcinoma metastasizing to the tongue. We report the case of an 87-year-old female patient with oral tongue, lung, liver, thyroid gland, pancreas and renal adenocarcinoma metastases. She had undergone contralateral nephrectomy for clear cell carcinoma 10 years before diagnosis of the metastases. The tongue lesion was surgically removed under local anaesthesia. Tongue metastasis of renal adenocarcinoma is usually a manifestation of widespread disease. The prognosis for patients with lingual metastasis of renal adenocarcinoma is poor, the mean interval from diagnosis of tongue metastasis to death being 5.8 months. In our patient, metastatic involvement of the tongue was detected approximately 5 months before death. Treatment of renal adenocarcinoma metastasis to the tongue is usually palliative and aims to provide patient comfort by means of pain relief and prevention of bleeding and infection. Surgical excision is recommended as the primary treatment, with emphasis on preservation of tongue structure and function. Recent data regarding immunotherapy or immunochemotherapy for metastatic renal adenocarcinoma are encouraging.     

Mandibular Langerhans cell histiocytosis

INTRODUCTION: Langerhan's cell histiocytosis is defined as an abnormal proliferation of Langerhans cells in various organs and tissues (bone, skin, lymph nodes...). Among facial locations, mandibular involvement is the most frequent and occurs in young people less than 20 years. The aim of this report is to review the characteristic features of this disease, the current means of diagnosis and treatment through two case reports.CASES: Two male patients aged 10 and 55 years respectively presented with single mandibular location of Langerhans cell histiocytosis. The diagnosis was confirmed by histological examination of the biopsy specimen. The first patient underwent surgical resection of the tumor. No recurrence was observed. In the second patient, the postoperative course was marked by the appearance of an inflammatory phenomenon in the adjacent skin and mucosa, successfully treated by intralesional corticosteroid therapy.DISCUSSION: Langerhan's cell histiocytosis is a rare disease. The mandibular location has variable clinical expressions which can vary from dental mobility to tumor development in the gingiva. The radiological appearance is also variable; histological proof is required for diagnosis. Treatment depends on the number and locations of the lesions. In case of a single location, the treatment options may vary from a "wait and see" attitude to a non aggressive surgery, with a possible local corticosteroid therapy or radiothe-rapy. For multiples locations, chemotherapy is indicated.     

Metastatic carcinoma of the neck from unknown primary sites

Encountering a metastatic carcinoma of the neck from an unknown primary site is not unusual, despite intensive examinations of the entire body. In previous reports, the pathological diagnosis of these carcinomas was usually squamous cell carcinomas and rarely adenocarcinoma. We treated eight patients with metastatic carcinoma of the neck from unknown primary sites, including 4 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 2 cases of adenocarcinoma, one case of small cell carcinoma, and one case of clear cell carcinoma, during a 10-year period from January 1992 to December 2001. We clinically examined these eight cases, and focusing on the two cases of metastatic cervical adenocarcinoma from unknown primary sites. The 8 cases consisted of 5 cases of N2 and 3 cases of N3 disease. Three of the 5 N2 patients underwent a neck dissection, but all three of the N3 cases were judged to be inoperable. Disease-free survival was achieved in all 3 patients who underwent surgery. In this paper, we review 36 reports on metastatic carcinomas of the neck from unknown primary sites and statistically analyze 1454 cases. Pathologically, the majority of them (81.1%) were squamous cell carcinoma; adenocarcinomas accounted for only 7.6% of the cases. Notably, 65.0% of the patients with cervical metastatic adenocarcinomas were confirmed to have primary lesions outside the head and neck region. The prognosis of primary unknown metastatic cervical adenocarcinoma is reportedly poor, and the optimal treatment is still unclear, although surgery is recommended for primary unknown metastatic cervical squamous cell carcinoma. However, we suggest that intensive treatment, including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, of metastatic lesions of the neck may play a key role in improving patient prognosis.     

Simultaneous squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity and oropharynx

INTRODUCTION: Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity is often a single localization, but the discovery of another or several associated lesions is not exceptional. The goal of our study was a retrospective analysis of patients having 2 simultaneous squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT), i.e. diagnosed during the same panendoscopy by excluding the esophagus and the lung. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1995 and 2001, 1,129 patients were treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx in the Bordeaux Maxillo-facial Surgery Unit. 1% of these patients presented 2 simultaneous squamous cell carcinomas of UADT. RESULTS: Our series was divided in 9 men (75%) and 3 women (25%) with an average age of 61.3 years (48-86). At the end of the study 2 patients were lost to follow-up, 3 patients were alive without recurrence, and 1 patient was alive with recurrence. The average follow-up time was 17.6 months. DISCUSSION: A review of the literature gave an incidence of simultaneous squamous cell carcinomas of UADT varying from 1.3 to 12.8% according to authors. Thus, any patient having squamous cell carcinoma of the UADT must be considered as having an important potential risk to present another simultaneous cancer and to benefit from a systematic panendoscopy. In spite of an early diagnosis, the prognostic of these lesions remains bad.     

Using the larynx as a last resort for oral intake in a hypopharyngeal cancer patient

We present a new oral intake route in a hypopharyngeal cancer patient with severe complications. A 64-year-old man was diagnosed as having T2N0M0 squamous cell carcinoma of the posterior wall of the hypopharynx. He had previously undergone radiotherapy for laryngeal cancer and tricuspid valve replacement surgery, and also had atrial flutter and renal dysfunction. We performed surgery with curative intent. The hypopharynx was primarily closed after tumor resection. Laryngotracheal separation and tracheoesophageal diversion with end-to-end anastomosis of the trachea to the esophagus was performed. After surgery, complete oral feeding was achieved using the new pathway created. The larynx, contradictory to its typical role, can be used as a pathway to the esophagus using our revolutionary technique.     

Bone scanning in the assessment of mandibular invasion by oral cavity carcinomas

Mandibular invasion alters the staging and treatment of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma, and thus its detection is essential to the head and neck oncologist. There is little information assessing the accuracy of the radionuclide bone scan and the roentgenogram in determining mandibular invasion. The present study reports data on 40 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity for whom bone scans, mandibular roentgenograms, and histologic examination of the mandible were available. The bone scan correctly predicted mandibular invasion in 8 of 9 cases; the false positive rate was 53% as a result of mandibular inflammatory changes. The bone scan was more accurate than the roentgenogram in predicting tumor invasion of the mandible, but the bone scan had a higher false positive rate. A normal bone scan and roentgenogram virtually precluded tumor involvement of the mandible. We conclude that the bone scan is an important adjunct in the prediction of carcinomatous invasion of the mandible in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.     

Delay in the diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Delay in diagnosis was recorded prospectively in 167 patients with an oral squamous cell carcinoma. The median total delay was 4 months of which two-thirds was patient delay. The corrected survival did not correlate with the total delay. The patient delay was not significantly correlated with tumour or patient factors and the unreliable nature of patient delay information makes such data clinically unusable. In contrast, the professional delay correlated significantly with some of these factors. The delay was longer for women than for men and the older the patient, the longer the delay. The professional delay was longest in patients with small tumours. Thus, registration of the professional delay provides information to be used to improve the diagnostic efficiency of the health care system. Keywords oral squamous cell carcinoma patient delay professional delay     

Diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of mandibular involvement in oral-oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a prospective study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and predictive values of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the assessment of mandibular involvement in oral-oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: Forty-three patients with oral or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma undergoing marginal or segmental mandibulectomy between January 1, 1994, and January 31, 2003. INTERVENTIONS: Indications for mandibulectomy were MRIs suggestive of bony invasion, tumor involving the retromolar trigone or the alveolar ridge, recurrent or persistent lesion, or intraoperative suspicion of periosteal invasion. Detection of tumor signal replacing the hypointense cortical rim was considered the main radiologic finding for mandibular invasion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The MRI findings were subsequently compared with histopathologic data of surgical specimens with reference to the presence of cortical and/or medullary mandibular involvement. RESULTS: Sixteen patients had MRI findings suggestive of mandibular involvement. Segmental mandibulectomy was performed in 15 cases and marginal resection in the remaining case. In 14 patients, bony invasion was confirmed. All of the other 27 patients who underwent marginal or segmental mandibulectomy with negative MRI findings had no histopathologic evidence of mandibular involvement, except in 1 patient: on histopathologic examination, despite cortical integrity, neoplastic vascular embolization into the bony lacunae was detected. Sensitivity of MRI in detecting mandibular involvement was 93%; specificity, 93%; accuracy, 93%; and negative and positive predictive values, 96% and 87.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Magnetic resonance imaging is commonly considered the technique of choice for treatment planning in advanced oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma because of its accuracy in depicting soft-tissue involvement. This study demonstrates the additional diagnostic value of MRI in detecting bone invasion.     

An unusual metastatic site of tongue carcinoma: shoulder muscles

The incidence of skeletal muscle metastases is reported to be less than 1% of metastases of haematogenous origin. Distant skeletal muscle metastases from head and neck squamous cell carcinomas are exceedingly rare. Only a case with tongue carcinoma metastasized to paravertebral muscles, has been reported so far. The reasons for the rarity of metastatic involvement of skeletal muscle are still unclear. The presence of skeletal muscle metastases in the setting of disseminated disease offers no hope for curative treatment. We report an unusual case of a 63-year-old patient with tongue carcinoma metastasizing to the left shoulder muscles. To our knowledge, this is the first such case to be reported in the English medical literature.