Correlation between t stage of the tumor and tumor behavior in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Head and neck cancer [HNC] represents more than 550,000 cases annually. It accounts for 380,000 deaths every year. Despite aggressive treatment, only 35% to 55% of patients who present with locally advanced HNC remain alive and free of disease 3 years after standard curative treatment. Thirty percent to 40% of patients develop locoregional recurrences, and distant metastases occur in 20% to 30%. Most recurrences appear quickly within 2 years of initial treatment and an additional 10% of patients will have evidence of distant metastases at the time of first presentation

Purpose: To retrospectively determine the prognostic effect of T stage in locally advanced head and neck cancer

Patients and Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 40 patients diagnosed with locally advanced head and neck cancer. Patients were diagnosed by a tissue biopsy and they were staged by endoscope and CT neck or MRI neck with contrast. They received their treatment and were followed up every 3 months by CTs

Results: We found a statistically significant correlation between T stage and both PFS and OS in HNC [95%, CI 1.00 - 3.10, p=0.04 and 95% CI 1.01 - 2.65, p=0.05 respectively]. We did not find any other statistically significant correlation between other patients’ sub-groups such as age, gender, smoking, affected site, stage, lymph node infiltration, receiving induction chemotherapy, receiving radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy, and response to treatment and between PFS and OS

Conclusion: This study confirmed that the T stage of the tumor is an important prognostic factor in locally advanced head and neck cancer

Predictive and prognostic impact of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes [cd8+] in breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Background and Objectives: the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy [NAC] in breast cancer induces a pCR in only 30-35% of patients. We canft depend only on clinical and pathological factors to distinguish the patients who have no chance of a pCR or not. Moreover, the NAC scenario is the perfect setting to study possible changes in TIL levels. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes [TIL] [CD] 8+ are essential components of tumor-specific cellular adaptive immunity. However, only few studies have addressed the significance of [CD8+] TIL in patients with breast cancer

Patients and Methods: we assessed the stromal and intratumral TIL, CD+8 in pretreatment core biopsy by immuohistochemistry [IHC] in 45 patients with breast cancer received neoadjuvant anthracyclin and docetaxel chemotherapy. CD8 classified into high or low according to the inter quartile range. Tumors with >/= 50% intratumoral or stromal lymphocytes were designated lymphocyte predominant breast cancer [LPBC]

Results: we found statistically significant correlation with high CD8 and DFS and smaller tumor residual [95% CI, 18.6-22.9; P= 0.01] and [p=0.003] respectively. But there was no significant difference regarding pCR or OS between high and low groups

Conclusion: this study confirmed that the CD8 TIL is an important prognostic and predictive factor in breast cancer