Hepatocellular carcinoma metastatic to the mandible.

We describe the case of a 55-year-old man with known multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who presented with a painful mandibular mass. Fine-needle aspiration cytology of the mass revealed the presence of bile canaliculi and bile formation, an extremely rare finding. Findings on immunoperoxidase staining of the aspirate were consistent with an HCC. Since the patient was known to have multiorgan metastatic disease, he was administered palliative radiation therapy to the mandibular metastasis for pain control, which was achieved. One year after presentation, the patient died as a result of disease progression. HCC rarely metastasizes to the mandible, as only about 70 such cases have been reported in the literature. We discuss the histopathologic appearance of HCC metastatic to the mandible, the radiologic findings, and the established treatment modalities.

Temporal bone verrucous carcinoma: outcomes and treatment controversy.

Verrucous carcinoma is a rare tumor that presents in the head and neck with the most common sites being the oral cavity and larynx. Fourteen cases of verrucous carcinoma of the temporal bone have been described in literature; this study aims to examine treatment outcomes and discuss the controversy surrounding postoperative radiation. The study design included a literature review along with individual case report in the setting of a tertiary care medical center. Outcome analysis of all cases of verrucous carcinoma of the temporal bone, which are documented in the English literature, and presentation of a single patient report including gross, histologic and radiologic analyses were performed. The longest recorded survival for verrucous carcinoma of the temporal bone occurs in patients treated with surgery alone. Poorer outcomes for patients treated with adjuvant (chemo)radiation may be due to more advanced stage of disease at the time of treatment. Early reports of radiation leading to tumor dedifferentiation or early recurrence are not supported by more recent studies. Whether adjuvant radiation therapy is indicated in verrucous carcinoma of the temporal bone remains controversial.

Temporal bone verrucous carcinoma: outcomes and treatment controversy.

OBJECTIVES: Verrucous carcinoma is a rare tumor that presents in the head and neck with the most common sites in the larynx and oral cavity. Fourteen cases of verrucous carcinoma of the temporal bone have been described in the literature; this study aims to examine treatment outcomes and discuss the controversy surrounding postoperative radiation. STUDY DESIGN: A literature review along with individual case report in the setting of a tertiary care medical center. METHODS: Outcomes analysis of all cases of verrucous carcinoma of the temporal bone which are documented in the English literature; presentation of a single patient report including gross, histologic, and radiologic analyses. RESULTS: The longest recorded survival for verrucous carcinoma of the temporal bone occurs in patients treated with surgery alone. Poorer outcomes for patients treated with adjuvant (chemo)radiation may be due to more advanced stage disease at the time of treatment. Early reports of radiation leading to tumor dedifferentiation or early recurrence are not supported by more recent studies. Whether adjuvant radiation therapy is indicated in verrucous carcinoma of the temporal bone remains a controversial.

Adjuvant external-beam radiotherapy in patients with high-risk well-differentiated thyroid cancer.

The role of adjuvant external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in well-differentiated thyroid cancer is not well delineated. Many clinicians rely solely on iodine 131 (131I) to destroy thyroid remnants following thyroidectomy. However, the lesser uptake of isotope in tumor cells suggests that 131I alone may not be sufficient to eradicate microscopic residual disease when no gross thyroid tissue remains. We conducted a retrospective study to examine the potential benefit of adjuvant EBRT in patients at high risk for microscopic residual disease following thyroidectomy. Between 1973 and 2001, 44 patients with well-differentiated papillary or follicular thyroid cancer were found to have extracapsular extension following thyroidectomy. These patients were divided into 2 groups based on the type of treatment; 11 patients had received adjuvant EBRT (with or without 131I) and 33 patients had not received EBRT (i.e., they received adjuvant 131I only). We reviewed their medical records and compiled data on local recurrence and overall survival (Kaplan-Meier analysis). Despite having a less favorable prognosis, the EBRT group experienced no local recurrences during a mean follow-up of 7.8 years; in contrast, 9 local recurrences were seen in the no-EBRT group. Also, the median survival for patients without a local recurrence was longer than that for those who had failed locally (425 vs. 317 mo). Although our population was not large enough for these differences to achieve statistical significance, our study did show that adjuvant EBRT provided excellent results. We hypothesize that a reciprocal irradiation effect between cancer cells and normal cells may be necessary in order for 131I to be tumoricidal. If so, a patient with microscopic residual disease would not have enough cancer cells to sufficiently concentrate 131I. Because EBRT does not depend on such a mechanism, it may be more effective than 131I in controlling disease in the setting of microscopic disease. Larger studies are needed to validate our results. In the meantime, we believe that adjuvant EBRT should play an important role in the treatment of patients with high-risk well-differentiated thyroid cancer.

Reirradiation after salvage surgery and microvascular free flap reconstruction for recurrent head and neck carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome and complications of reirradiation of recurrent head and neck cancer after salvage surgery and microvascular reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twelve patients underwent salvage surgery with microvascular reconstruction for recurrent or second primary head and neck cancer in a previously irradiated field. Median prior radiation therapy dose was 63.0 Gy. Patients then underwent postoperative reirradiation, and received a median total cumulative radiation dose of 115.0 Gy. RESULTS: Three (25%) patients experienced acute complications (<3 months) during reirradiation. Four (33%) patients developed grade 3 or 4 late reirradiation complications (>3 months). There were no incidences of free flap failure, brain necrosis, spinal cord injury, or carotid rupture. The incidence of soft tissue necrosis and osteoradionecrosis was 8%. Six (50%) patients are alive without evidence of recurrent disease a median of 40 months after reirradiation. CONCLUSION: Microvascular free flaps allow for maximal resection and reliable reconstruction of previously irradiated cancers before high dose reirradiation and may reduce the incidence of severe late complications and treatment related mortality.

Comparison of quality of life outcomes in laryngeal cancer patients following chemoradiation vs. total laryngectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate quality of life issues in patients with laryngeal cancer after treatment with either chemoradiation or total laryngectomy and radiation therapy. METHODS: Forty-nine patients with a history of stage II-IV laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated primarily with either chemoradiation or by total laryngectomy with postoperative radiation completed the University of Washington Quality of Life instrument, version 4. Patients were identified on a volunteer basis in an academic university head and neck clinic setting. Each patient completed the above instrument, and statistical analysis was performed by Wilcoxon and chi 2 tests. RESULTS: Instruments were completed by all 49 patients: 15 patients who underwent primary chemoradiation and 34 patients who underwent a total laryngectomy followed by radiation. Domains reported in both treatment groups without significant differences were appearance, activity, recreation, moods, taste, saliva, anxiety, and general questions. However, there were significant differences between the 2 groups in the domains of pain, swallowing, chewing, speech, and shoulder function. The laryngectomy patients reported greater impairment of speech (P = 0.001), and shoulder function (P = 0.018), whereas the chemoradiation patients suffered from greater pain, difficulty swallowing (P = 0.061), and problems chewing (P = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with laryngeal cancer, whether treated primarily with chemoradiation or total laryngectomy, reported excellent functional outcomes and health-related quality of life. Pain, swallowing, chewing, saliva, and shoulder function were recorded as significant factors affecting their daily quality of life.

Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma: case series and literature review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to understand the natural history and progression of sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) to establish optimal management guidelines. Methods and materials We analyzed 8 consecutively treated patients diagnosed with SNUC between 1995 and 2002 at UCLA Medical Center. Staging was classified by the Kadish System with 7 patients presenting at stage C and 1 patient with stage B disease. Five patients received surgery. Four of these 5 patients received adjuvant radiotherapy, with 2 patients receiving it concurrently with chemotherapy (cisplatinum/5-fluorouracil). One patient received surgery alone as definitive management. Of the remaining 3 patients who did not receive surgical treatment, concurrent chemotherapy and radiation was used. RESULTS: At last follow-up, 6 of the 8 patients were still alive (overall survival 75%) with mean survival time of 20.6 months. However, only 2 of the 6 were alive and free of disease (disease-free survival 25%) with a mean disease-free survival time of 12.3 months. Locoregional recurrence occurred in 5 of the 8 patients (63%). Time to recurrence ranged from 3 to 30 months. Distant metastasis presented in 4 of the 8 patients (50%), all with disease spread to bone. Two of the 4 patients with distant metastasis were found to have locoregional disease recurrence at the same time. Time to metastasis ranged from 2 to 30 months. Results also show that the 5 patients who received surgery are still alive with a mean survival time of 23 months at last follow-up. Meanwhile, 1 of the 3 patients who received no surgical therapy is alive, with a mean survival time of 16.7 months in this group. CONCLUSIONS: SNUC has proven to have a poor prognosis. Although limited by small numbers, this study along with reported series in the past appear to suggest longer survival results with aggressive multimodality therapy, especially with the incorporation of complete surgical resection.

Early nodal response as a predictor for necessity of functional neck dissection after chemoradiation.

PURPOSE: Chemoradiation is increasingly becoming the standard of care for node-positive squamous cell cancer of the head and neck. Response to chemoradiation for clinically node-positive disease in the neck is often difficult to ascertain because clinical response may or may not be predictive of pathological response. This often leads to uncertainty about the necessity of a functional neck dissection after chemoradiation. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed a cohort of node-positive patients to examine pathological response as well as clinical outcome after chemoradiation with or without functional neck dissection. METHODS: Using the radiation oncology records from 1993 until 2003, a population of 420 patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck were identified. Of these, 34 patients were clinically node positive at the time of diagnosis and under went chemoradiation as their primary therapy. All patients received a concurrent platinum-based regimen. Median radiation dose to gross neck disease was 68.4 Gy (range: 50.4-73.8 Gy). RESULTS: Median follow-up time was 25 months (range: 4-88 months). Patients with a complete response (17/34, 50%) after receiving 50 Gy finished the full course of therapy but did not undergo functional neck dissection. Only one patient (1/17) in this observation group experienced relapse in the neck. Patients with a partial response who received 50 Gy (17/34) completed therapy and under went functional neck dissection, regardless of response at the end of therapy. Fifty percent (3/6) with positive pathology had a regional relapse in the neck, whereas only 1/11 patients with negative pathology relapsed in the neck. This result compared favorably with those who were observed after chemoradiation. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical response at 50 Gy can be an effective means of selecting patients for functional neck dissection. Patients with complete response at 50 Gy may be observed with a low regional recurrence rate. Those patients with a partial response should undergo adjuvant neck dissection.

Efficacy of radiation therapy in the local control of desmoplastic malignant melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Desmoplastic malignant melanoma (DMM) is a rare variant of malignant melanoma with high local recurrence rate after surgical excision. We performed a retrospective review to address the role of radiation therapy in local control of this tumor. METHODS: Between 1976 and 1997, 44 patients with the pathologic diagnosis of DMM were registered at our tumor registry. Fourteen patients received postoperative RT, and one patient received preoperative RT. Three of the irradiated lesions had gross residual or positive surgical margins. Doses ranged from 44 to 66 Gy. RESULTS: Sixty-eight percent of DMM lesions occurred in the head and neck region. Forty-eight percent (21 of 44) of patients experienced a local recurrence after initial excision (mean time to recurrence, 12 months). Local failure in head and neck was 46% (14 of 30). Clark level, primary site, and neurotropism did not predict local recurrence; the Clark level predicted distant metastasis. No viable tumor was found in the surgical specimen of the patient who received preoperative RT. None of 15 patients who received adjuvant irradiation had any additional recurrences (mean follow-up, 64.7 months). By contrast, four of seven patients with history of recurrence who did not receive RT had local relapse (p =.005). The incidence of distant metastasis did not reach statistical significance between the irradiated and nonirradiated groups. CONCLUSIONS: The high rate of local recurrence of DMM after surgical resection is dramatically reduced by adjuvant radiation therapy. We recommend adjuvant postoperative radiation therapy as a part of treatment of DMM.

The role of radiation in the treatment of advanced juvenile angiofibroma.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To demonstrate the efficacy of external beam radiation therapy as a primary treatment modality for the management of patients with advanced juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: The medical records of 130 patients with the diagnosis of JNA seen at UCLA Medical Center over a 41-year period (1960-2000) were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: One hundred thirty cases of JNA have been seen at UCLA Medical Center from 1960 to 2000. One hundred two were treated with surgical resection, 1 refused therapy, and the remaining 27 received radiation (3000-5500 cGy) as their primary mode of treatment. Fifteen percent (4 of 27) of the irradiated patients developed recurrent tumor 2 to 5 years later. Long-term complications occurred in 4 patients (15%) and consisted of growth retardation, panhypopituitarism, temporal lobe necrosis, cataracts, and radiation keratopathy. CONCLUSIONS: External beam radiation therapy represents an effective mode of treatment for patients with advanced JNA. Although the latency period may be long, we think the likelihood of potentially fatal complications developing at the radiation dosages we recommend is less than the risk of significant morbidity and mortality associated with surgical intervention in these cases.