Improved survival of head and neck cancer patients in Greenland.

Previously, head and neck cancer (HNC) patients in Greenland have had significant diagnostic delay and poor survival rates. From 2005-2009 several initiatives have been made to ensure faster diagnosis and better survival. The aim of this study was to compare the prognosis before and after these initiatives were introduced. All Greenlandic patients diagnosed with HNC between 2005 and 2012 were included. Data were retrieved from medical records and national databases and compared with the period 1994-2003. A total of 98 patients were identified. Diagnostic delay was significantly lower compared to the period 1994-2004 (p=0.048). The 3-year overall survival was 56% for all HNC and 47% for nasopharyngeal carcinomas. We found that patients with HNC between 1994 and 2003 had a higher risk of death from all reasons compared with the period 2005-2012 (HR 2.17; CI 1.46-3.23) after adjustments for stage and diagnostic delay. Patients with head HNC in Greenland from 2005-2012 were diagnosed earlier and had a better overall survival compared to the period 1994-2003. The change in survival is more likely to be due to improvement in treatment rather than the initiated interventions. Although survival has improved in Greenland, demographic problems and lack of specialists remain a challenge.

Survival of head and neck cancer in Greenland.

OBJECTIVES: Head and neck cancer is frequent in the Inuit population of Greenland and is characterized by a very high incidence of Epstein-Barr virus associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, information on the treatment and survival of Inuit head and neck cancer patients is practically non-existent. The aim of this study, therefore, was to analyse the epidemiological pattern, time course and survival of head and neck cancer patients in Greenland. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective register-based study. METHODS: The Danish Civil Registration System, the Danish Cancer Registry and hospital-based registries were used to identify all patients resident in Greenland diagnosed with head and neck cancer during the period 1994-2003. Data were analysed with regard to clinical characteristics, treatment delay and survival. RESULTS: A total of 125 patients were identified. The age-standardized incidence rate for all head and neck cancer cases was 28/100,000 for males and 19/100,000 for females. High incidence rates were found for NPC and oral cancers. Of all cancers, 47% were stage IV at the time of diagnosis, while 61% of all NPC's were stage IV. The median delay from date of first symptom to treatment was 248 days for all cancers. The overall crude 5-year survival rate for all sites together was 35% and for NPC 20%. CONCLUSION: Survival of head and neck cancer in Greenland is very low. Delays in treatment and inadequate follow-up on treatment complications are probable causes. The improvements in treatment for NPC and other head and neck cancer cases over the last decades are yet to be seen in this Inuit population.

Acute mastoiditis in Greenland between 1994-2007.

INTRODUCTION: The indigenous populations of the Arctic are prone to middle ear infections starting with an early age first episode, followed by frequent episodes of acute otitis media (AOM) during childhood. A high proportion develop chronic otitis media. Acute mastoiditis is a serious complication of AOM in childhood with postauricular swelling, erythema, and tenderness, protrusion of the auricle, high fever and general malaise. The disease may protrude intracranially. The incidence rates for acute mastoiditis in the Western world range from 1.2 to 4.2 cases/100 000 per year. There exists no epidemiological data on acute mastoiditis in the Arctic region. METHODS: A retrospective search was made for the WHO ICD-10 code DH70.0 (denoting acute mastoiditis) using the National Greenland Inpatient Register for the period 1994-2007, inclusive. Fifteen patients were registered and their medical records were retrieved. Four patients were obviously misclassified, leaving 11 patients for evaluation. The medical records were available for 10 patients. The diagnostic inclusion criterion was written clinical signs of acute mastoiditis. RESULTS: Based on the case series the incidence rate was calculated to be 1.4 for the total Greenlandic population and 7.4 for children 0 and 10 years of age. Median age was 14 months (5-105 months) and eight were female (72%). Seven of the 10 were exclusively treated with antibiotics and three underwent additional ear surgery. Bacteriological examination was performed in five of 10. One 8 month-old girl presented with a contemporary facial nerve paralysis and was treated with intravenous antibiotics; one 8 year-old girl was evacuated to Copenhagen for urgent surgery due to signs of meningitis. Acute CT scan showed a cerebellar abscess and a thrombosis in the lateral sigmoid sinus vein. An extensive cholesteatoma was found and eradicated during surgery. Six weeks later the patient returned home with a maximal conductive hearing loss as the only complication. All patients recovered from the disease. CONCLUSION: The incidence of acute mastoiditis in Greenland is comparable to the incidence elsewhere, although AOM occurs more frequently among small children in the Greenlandic population. The disease is serious and must be treated immediately with intravenous antibiotics, followed by urgent surgery if there is no improvement.

[Two cases of laryngocele]. / To tilfaelde af laryngocele.

A laryngocele is a rare benign dilatation of the anterior part of Ventriculus Laryngis. The symptoms are either hoarseness, a tumor on the neck or a combination. In the literature a link between laryngocele and carcinoma of the larynx is well described. For this reason a careful clinical examination together with MRI or CT scans is of outmost importance. None of the patients described had larynx cancer. Of the two patients described, one underwent surgery, the other was treated conservatively due to general health.