A surgery of nasopharyngeal tumors among Filipinos: a report of 203 cases

The geographic position and consideration of the multi-racial hearths that came to the Philippines modified the existing Negroid, Proto-Malay and Malay population. The influence of Chinese and Indian migration penetrated deep into the family structure of the Filipinos brought about thru intercommunal mixtures. The inferred predilection of the tumor among the Filipinos were discussed. Working on the theory of possible inter-racial influence on nasopharyngeal tumor genesis the authors discounted its implication after retracing the ethnic contact between the two peoples. While the incidence of nasopharyngeal tumors range from third to twelfth most common malignancy observed in the four institutions studied; it represented only 2.31 per cent of the total malignancies among the Chinese admitted in the Chinese General Hospital. Of the 7,153 different malignancies gathered in these institutions, 2.83 percent of 203 cases are nasopharyngeal tumors. It is significant, however, that all Chinese patients are from the southern province of the China mainland. The average Filipino patient is 46 years, a decade younger than those reported in Western literatures. The tumor behavior follows greater morbidity among the younger age group and assumes earlier remote metastasis. Clinical symptoms observed nasal neck mass as the most common compared to deafness, nasal obstruction, epistaxis and cranial nerve involvement. Bilateral neck nodal involvement, proven by aspiration, is present in 45.4 percent. This neck enlargement is found initially or incombination with the other symptoms with or without obvious primary lesion at the time of examination. This behavior of the tumor with evident early potential metastasis demands extreme scrutiny for possible nasopharyngeal tumor. Lymphoepithelioma appears more in our series (32.0 percent) probably due to lack of strict criteria for these tumors. Causal relationship of associated factors are tabulated; nutritional and co-existing diseases reviewed.(Summary)

Radio-histological correlates in bronchogenic cancer

One hundred thirty-four lung cancer cases who were histologically proven in life and who had chest x-rays at time of initial diagnosis were entered into this retrospective study covering the period from January 1, 1979 to April 30, 1985The major histologic subtype of lung cancer in this study were similar to those cited by foreign literatures, namely epidermoid cell cancer (37). Adenocarcinoma (25), small cell cancer (20) and large cell cancer (5). By frequency and odds ratio, squamous cell and adenocarcinoma histologies presented with a peripheral radiographic location two times more than with a central location. On the other hand, small cell cancer histology was three times more associated with central radiogaphic presentation. Large cell cancer histology showed to be either centrally or peripherally located without preference. (author)