Guidelines for the Use of Botulinum Toxin in Otolaryngology From the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics Guideline Task Force

The Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics created a task force to establish clinical practice guidelines for the use of botulinum toxin (BT) in otolaryngology. We selected 10 disease categories: spasmodic dysphonia, essential vocal tremor, vocal fold granuloma, bilateral vocal fold paralysis, Frey’s syndrome, sialocele, sialorrhea, cricopharyngeal dysfunction, chronic sialadenitis, and first bite syndrome. To retrieve all relevant papers, we searched the CORE databases with predefined search strategies, including Medline (PubMed), Embase, the Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed. The committee reported 13 final recommendations with detailed evidence profiles. The guidelines are primarily aimed at all clinicians applying BT to the head and neck area. In addition, the guidelines aim to promote an improved understanding of the safe and effective use of BT by policymakers and counselors, as well as in patients scheduled to receive BT injections.

Preoperative Balloon Occlusion Test of the Carotid Artery and Preoperative Tumor Embolization on Paraganglioma of Carotid Body: 20-Year Experience in a Single Institute and Literature Review / 대한이비인후과학회지

Background and Objectives@#Carotid body paraganglioma is the common type of carotid body tumor for which angiography, carotid artery balloon occlusion test (BOT) and tumor embolization could be considered before the surgery. We analyzed cases in a single institute and reviewed related literature to investigate the necessity of these preoperative examinations.Subjects and Method Medical records of patients who were diagnosed with paraganglioma were retrospectively analyzed from 2000 to 2019. @*Results@#Sixteen patients were identified. Of the total, 14 patients underwent surgery at this institute, and 13 underwent angiography. Of the 13 patients who underwent angiography, 6 patients underwent carotid artery BOT, and 12 patients underwent tumor embolization. The average tumor size of 6 patients who underwent carotid artery BOT was 28.7 mm, and 8 patients who did not undergo carotid artery BOT was 30.1 mm. The average tumor size of 12 patients who underwent tumor embolization was 29.4 mm. Two patients did not undergo tumor embolization, and their average tumor size was 30 mm. In 1 patient, both preoperative angiography and carotid artery BOT were performed, but tumor embolization was not performed due to spasm of tumor vessels. @*Conclusion@#Preoperative carotid artery BOT can be performed to reduce side effects in patients with the potential for carotid resection. In addition, tumor embolization is performed regardless of tumor size. By reducing the amount of bleeding during surgery and reducing the size of the tumor, it is possible to secure an appropriate surgical field of view to facilitate operation during surgery; however, its effectiveness needs to be clearly identified.

Treatment for Locoregionally Recurrent Head and Neck Cancers / 대한이비인후과학회지

The locoregional recurrence rate after treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) is known to be about 40%, and recurrence of cancer is the major factor directly related to the survival of patients. Recurrent HNC has different biological characteristics and tumor microenvironment from those of index cancer. And it subsequently exhibits pro-tumoral and treatment-resistant traits, which leads to difficulties in selecting salvage treatments and followed by dismal prognosis. Furthermore, since which salvage treatment can be selected and what the result of it will be determined by the prior treatment, there should be careful consideration in the initial therapeutic strategy. In this review, currently used treatment methods and results for locoregionally recurrent HNC are summarized, and considerations for each treatment based on the clinical and biomolecular characteristics of recurrent HNC are discussed. In addition, this review contains introductions of new therapeutic strategies including recent clinical trials and a perspective on the future direction for treatment of locoregionally recurrent HNC.

Prognostic Value of Combined Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand and p16 Expression Predicting Responsiveness to Radiotherapy in Patients with Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES@#This study examined the expressions of p16 and the programmed cell death 1 ligand (PD-L1) in patients with oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) treated with radiotherapy (RT) to identify the correlation between p16 and PD-L1 expression, and to examine the prognostic significance of these markers for OPC patients receiving RT.SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Forty-eight OPC patients diagnosed and treated at a tertiary referral hospital were enrolled in this retrospective analysis. Patients were initially treated with RT or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with curative intent and completed the planned schedule. Expression of p16 and PD-L1 by primary tumors was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, and results were interpreted separately and dichotomized according to outcome analyses.@*RESULTS@#Of the 48 patients, 25 (52.1%) expressed p16 and 15 (31.3%) expressed PD-L1. Expression of these markers showed a mutual positive correlation (p=0.046). Positive PD-L1 expression was associated with poor complete remission (CR) rates after RT (p=0.040). Positive p16 expression was associated with better recurrence-free survival (RFS) (p=0.004) but not overall survival (OS) (p=0.192). PD-L1 expression showed no independent association with survival (p>0.05); however, PD-L1 expression tended toward poorer RFS, even in p16-positive individuals.@*CONCLUSION@#There was a positive correlation between the expression of p16 and PD-L1 in OPCs. PD-L1 expression was associated with poorer CR rates after RT or CRT. PD-L1 alone did not show an association with RFS or OS, but when combined with p16, it tended toward poorer RFS, even in p16-positive cases.

Guidelines for the Surgical Management of Oral Cancer: Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery

Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery appointed a Task Force to provide guidance on the implementation of a surgical treatment of oral cancer. MEDLINE databases were searched for articles on subjects related to “surgical management of oral cancer” published in English. Results were restricted to systematic reviews, randomized control trials/controlled clinical trials, and observational studies. The quality of evidence was rated with use RoBANS (Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies) and AMSTAR (A Measurement Tool to Assess the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews). Evidence-based recommendations for practice were ranked according to the American College of Physicians grading system. Additional directives are provided as expert opinions and Delphi questionnaire when insufficient evidence existed. The Committee developed 68 evidence-based recommendations in 34 categories intended to assist clinicians and patients and counselors, and health policy-makers. Proper surgical treatment selection for oral cancer, which is directed by patient- and subsite-specific factors, remains the greatest predictor of successful treatment outcomes. These guidelines are intended for use in conjunction with the individual patient's treatment goals.

A Case of Malignant Lymphoma Misdiagnosed as Acute Tonsillitis with Subsequent Lymphadenitis / 고신대학교의과대학학술지

A 56-year-old female presented with clinical features of acute tonsillitis with subsequent cervical lymphadenitis. After taking empirical antibiotics for 1 week, the acute infection symptoms and signs were resolved. However, an asymmetric enlargement of the left palatine tonsil with ipsilateral neck swelling remained. Subsequent tonsillectomy and lymph node excisional biopsy were performed due to the possibility of malignancy. The patient was eventually diagnosed as malignant lymphoma according to pathological confirmation. We demonstrate the diagnostic challenges in such a rare case and emphasize the importance of differentiating malignant lymphoma from an atypically presenting acute infectious disease.

Guidelines for the Surgical Management of Laryngeal Cancer: Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery

Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery appointed a Task Force to develop clinical practice guidelines for the surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer. This Task Force conducted a systematic search of the EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed databases to identify relevant articles, using search terms selected according to the key questions. Evidence-based recommendations were then created on the basis of these articles. An external expert review and Delphi questionnaire were applied to reach consensus regarding the recommendations. The resulting guidelines focus on the surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer with the assumption that surgery is the selected treatment modality after a multidisciplinary discussion in any context. These guidelines do not, therefore, address non-surgical treatment such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The committee developed 62 evidence-based recommendations in 32 categories intended to assist clinicians during management of patients with laryngeal cancer and patients with laryngeal cancer, and counselors and health policy-makers.

Oral Microbiome and Its Association with Oral Diseases / 대한이비인후과학회지

Microbiome means a holistic genomic information of microorganism which usually having symbiotic relationships confer benefits to human body. Breaches in the homeostasis between host and microorganism or alterations of the microbiome are well-known risk factors promoting human diseases. Oral cavity has hundreds of microbes and demonstrates chronic inflammatory conditions by interrelations among microorganisms, foreign bodies, alcohol, and smoking. Oral microbiome also demonstrates a growing evidence of its implication in the etiology of oral diseases including cancer and other systemic diseases. In this review paper, I would introduce to the associated human diseases with oral microbiome and the mechanism how changes in the oral microbiome with its microenvironment leads to the host diseases. And I would also suggest a new research field in otorhinolaryngology connected to oral microbiome.

The Effect of Uvula-Preserving Palatopharyngoplasty in Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Globus Sense and Positional Dependency

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the outcomes of uvula-preserving palatopharyngoplasty (UPPPP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). METHODS: Twenty men with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome received the UPPPP operation at our institution. We measured symptom changes after UPPPP using a visual analog scale (VAS), and all patients were examined with polysomnography pre- and post-operatively. 'Surgical success' was defined as reduction in apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) to below 20 events per hour and more than 50% post-operative reduction. RESULTS: Snoring decreased significantly (6.7+/-2.3 to 3.7+/-2.9 on VAS, P=0.002) but the postoperative globus sense did not differ from that preoperatively (2.0+/-2.4 to 2.1+/-2.7 on VAS, P=0.79). Apnea and apnea-hypopnea indices were significantly reduced after UPPPP (34.7+/-20 to 24.2+/-17.2 events/hour, P=0.029). The surgical success rate was 40% regardless of Friedman stage. There was significant reduction in the AHI on supine sleep in both surgically successful and unsuccessful patient groups. CONCLUSION: UPPPP may minimize postoperative globus sense and other complications, with a success rate comparable to that of previously reported surgical methods in OSAS patients. In addition, it may reduce the apnea-hypopnea index in the supine sleep position.