Obstructive sleep apnoea and snoring - is examination necessary?

This article outlines two cases of snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) secondary to parapharyngeal space tumours. Both patients were referred to a specialist sleep clinic where oropharyngeal masses were seen and biopsied. Both underwent surgery and this was curative of both their snoring and their OSA. Parapharyngeal space tumours are an extremely rare cause of OSA and snoring. However, all patients with OSA and snoring should have a full head and neck examination before referral; in rare cases this could enable early detection of a parapharyngeal space tumour.     

Prevalence and Prognostic Value of the Polymorphic Variant 1245A>C of HSD3B1 in Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer

IntroductionThe purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and prognostic value of the polymorphic variant (1245A>C), a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the HSD3B1 gene, in the tumors of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated 44 patients with CRPC who underwent palliative transurethral resection of the prostate. Genomic DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded material, and 1245A>C SNP of the HSD3B1 gene was analyzed via Sanger sequencing. Cox regression analysis was used to assess the prognostic value of the respective SNP with time to progression as well as cancer-specific and overall survival in the subgroup of patients receiving second systemic treatment.ResultsThe SNP was present in 20 patients (51.2%) who received second line systemic treatment additionally to androgen deprivation, of which 16 (80%) patients were heterozygous and 4 (20%) were homozygous. Correlation analysis revealed no association of the SNP with any clinical characteristics at initiation of second-line systemic treatment. Moreover, the presence of the variant (1245A>C) of HSD3B1 was not associated with any survival endpoint.ConclusionsThe variant allele 1245C of the HSD3B1 gene is present in approximately one-half of patients with CRPC; however, it is not associated with oncologic outcomes. These findings, however, need to be interpreted with caution as the sample size is small. Further research on biomarkers is needed to help tailor clinical decision making in prostate cancer, especially in the increasingly complex therapeutic landscape of CRPC.