Head and Neck Cancer Survivors’ Perceptions of Cancer Treatment and Posttraumatic Growth

@#Introduction: Cancer patients’ perception on the treatment they received is vital to determine their adherence to cancer treatment, but important data on how this variable affects posttraumatic growth (PTG) experience by cancer patients is lacking. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the degree of PTG among a cohort of head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors who were within first year of diagnosis and determined the association between perception of cancer treatment received (expectation and satisfaction with cancer treatment received and the feeling about the adverse effects) and PTG controlling for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Methods: HNC survivors were recruited from two oncology referral centres, and they were administered socio-demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, the Malay version of the Cancer Therapy Satisfaction Questionnaire (CTSQ) (to assess the satisfaction, expectation and feeling about the adverse effects of cancer treatment received) and the Malay version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form (PTGi-SF) (to measure the degree of PTG). Results: A total of 200 HNC survivors participated in the study. The mean total PTGI-SF score was 39.5 (standard deviation [SD] = 9.3). Greater degree of positive expectation of cancer treatment and satisfaction with cancer treatment received significantly contributed to higher level of PTG, whereas feeling about side effects of treatment was not associated with PTG, after controlling for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Conclusion: Incorporating psychosocial interventions (such as education on cancer treatment and counselling) into the treatment regimen may facilitate development of PTG and hence, safeguard the mental well-being of HNC patients.

Paraneoplastic Neurological Disorder in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Paraneoplastic neurological disorder (PND) is a condition due to immune cross-reactivity between the tumour cells and the normal tissue, whereby the “onconeural” antibodies attack the normal host nervous system. It can present within weeks to months before or after the diagnosis of malignancies. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is associated with paraneoplastic syndrome, for example, dermatomyositis, and rarely with a neurological disorder. We report on a case of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with probable PND. Otolaryngologists, oncologists and neurologists need to be aware of this condition in order to make an accurate diagnosis and to provide prompt treatment.

Solitary Fibrous Tumour of the Submandibular Region: A Rare Entity

Solitary fibrous tumours of the head and neck region are extremely rare. The clinical diagnosis is often difficult to establish, and this lesion may be indistinguishable from other soft tissue neoplasms. An 18-year old Chinese gentleman presented with a painless right submandibular swelling which was increasing in size for eight months. A computed tomography scan showed a well-defined solid mass measuring about 2.0 x 2.96 cm in the submandibular region. The tumour was resected and was confined within its capsule. Immunohistochemical staining was strongly positive for CD34, CD 99, and vimentin and negative for desmin, smooth muscle actin (SMA), cytokeratin, S100 and CD68. The microscopic and immunohistochemical profile were compatible with solitary fibrous tumour. Distinguishing solitary fibrous tumours from various spindle neoplasms can be difficult. In view of the resemblance, immunohistochemical staining can help differentiate solitary fibrous tumour from spindle neoplasm.

Laryngeal histoplasmosis: an occupational hazard

Isolated laryngeal histoplasmosis is a very rare entity. It has variable clinical presentations that might mimic both benign and malignant lesions, and is usually associated with pulmonary and other disseminated forms of histoplasmosis. Herein, we report a case of primary laryngeal histoplasmosis without the involvement of other systems in a 70-year-old Chinese man, who previously worked as a miner. He presented with a history of hoarseness for two months, with no other associated symptoms. Direct laryngoscopy revealed irregularity of the posterior one-third of both vocal folds. Histopathological examination revealed the presence of Histoplasma capsulatumon periodic acidSchiff and Grocott's methenamine silver staining. The lesion resolved after one month of oral itraconazole treatment. However, the patient had to complete six months of antifungal treatment to prevent recurrence.

Bilateral synchronous tonsillar carcinoma with bilateral neck disease

We report a 60 year old man diagnosed to have bilateral tonsillar carcinoma. He presented with bilateral neck swelling with suspicious looking tonsils. Bilateral wide excision tonsillectomy was done. Histopathology showed localized bilateral squamous cell carcinoma. We proceeded with bilateral modified neck dissection and patient underwent Radiation therapy

Incarcerated esophageal foreign body: when conventional scope fails

We present a case of a 34-years old man with underlying mental retardation who presented with incarcerated esophageal foreign body. Esophagoscopy was unsuccessful and cervical esophagotomy was performed to remove the foreign body

Juvenile angiofibroma protruding from the nasal cavity

@#OBJECTIVE/strong: To describe a case of juvenile angiofibroma with unusual protrusion out of the nasal cavity, and its management with surgery and radiotherapy.br /br /strongMETHODS:/strong br /strongDesign/strong: Case Report br /strongSetting/strong: Tertiary Public Referral Centre br /strongPatient/strong: Onebr /br /strongRESULTS/strong: A 17-year-old gentleman presented with a huge tumor protruding from his left nostril, diagnosed with juvenile angiofibroma stage IlIA by MRI and angiography. Following successful pre-operative embolization, the protruding mass was ligated and truncated, followed by surgical resection via external approach. Post-operative residual tumor was treated with adjuvant radiotherapy. There was no evidence of recurrence after nine months.br /br /strongCONCLUSION/strong: A high index of suspicion is of paramount importance in the diagnosis of JA and avoids the possibility of an unwarranted biopsy which could spell disaster. The most useful tools for diagnosis are MRI and arterial angiography. Treatment is primarily surgical. Irradiation therapy has been reported to achieve satisfactory outcomes, especially for unresectable residual disease and/or intracranial extension, where total surgical resection is unlikely to be attained without unacceptable morbidity./p

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the soft palate salivary gland

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is a malignant epithelial tumour of glandular tissue, usually of the major salivary glands. However it can present in the minor salivary glands, especially in the soft palate. We report the case of a 72-year-old Malay female after presentation with sore throat, fever and odynophagia, was diagnosed with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the soft palate.

Primary malignant parotid lymphoma: Two case reports with different disease progression and treatment

Objective@#To describe our experience in managing two cases of primary malignant parotid lymphoma. @*Methods@#Design: Case Report Setting: Tertiary University Referral Center Patients: Two @*Results@#Both patients underwent superficial parotidectomy. Despite recurrence in one, the disease was controlled with conservative management. However, the disease was more aggressive in the other, requiring additional chemo-radiotherapy.@*Conclusion@#Malignant parotid lymphoma may present with varying stages, grades and clinical courses, requiring different management approaches. The treatment options are based on grading and staging at diagnosis and should be implemented depending on individual case.

Complications following tracheoesophageal puncture: a tertiary hospital experience

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>In laryngectomised patients, tracheoesophageal speech is the gold standard for voice rehabilitation. This study evaluated complications related to the tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) and the success rate in voice prosthesis after total laryngectomy at our institution over a 10-year period.</p><p><b>MATERIALS AND METHODS</b>A retrospective review of 22 TEPs was performed between January 1998 and December 2008. The timing of TEP, type of voice prosthesis, surgical and prosthesis-related complications, and TEP closure were noted.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Eighteen percent of the patients underwent primary and 82% secondary TEP. Our patients were predominantly males (95.4%) of Chinese descent with a mean age of 62.1 years. The types of voice prostheses used were ProvoxTM (n = 15), Voicemasters (n = 6), and Blom-Singer (n = 1). Prosthesis- related complications occurred in 77.3%. Notable complications were leakage (82.5%), prosthesis displacement (41.2%), intractable aspiration (29.4%), and aspiration of prosthesis (23.5%). The most common surgical-related complication was tracheostomal stenosis. An array of interventions comprising resizing or changing prosthesis type, nasogastric catheter insertion, stomaplasty, purse string suturing, and bronchoscopic removal of bronchial aspirated prosthesis were implemented to address encountered complications. In a mean follow-up of 34.8 months, 68.2% of patients achieved functional tracheoesophageal speech (75% of primary TEP and 67% of secondary TEP). There were 7 TEP closures indicated by persistent leakage, recurrent dislodgement, phonatory failure and, in 1 patient, persistent pain.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>TEP has become an integral part in the rehabilitation of a laryngectomee. However, management of the frequent complications related to TEP requires specific efforts and specialistic commitments in order to treat them.</p>