ABSTRACT
Malignant tumours of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses are usually associated with poor prognosis. From 1986 to 1995, 50 such tumours were managed in Papua New Guinea. Twenty-nine of these arose in the maxillary sinus, 15 in the nasal cavity, four in the ethmoid sinus and two in the frontal sinus. Males were more frequently affected than females. No specific carcinogenic factor was apparent in these patients who were uniformly distributed all over the country. Advanced local disease with multiple symptoms and signs was common during presentation. Systemic and neck node metastases were infrequent. Histopathologically, squamous cell carcinoma was the commonest type of tumour. Satisfactory results were obtained by combination therapy consisting of surgery, irradiation, and systemic chemotherapeutics agents. Better health consciousness and health care delivery system are essential for early diagnosis, regular posttreatment follow-up and improved survival of these patients.
Subject(s)
Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Melanesia/ethnology , Middle Aged , Papua New Guinea/epidemiology , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
A wide variety of foreign bodies lodging in the upper aerodigestive tract are encountered in otolaryngological practice. These are mostly associated with acute symptoms calling for prompt removal. We report a case where a whole fish was accidentally lodged in the throat of a 17-year-old boy. The patient presented with severe respiratory and swallowing difficulty. The fish was removed as an emergency procedure.
Subject(s)
Fishes , Foreign Bodies/therapy , Pharynx , Adolescent , Airway Obstruction/etiology , Airway Obstruction/therapy , Animals , Endoscopy , Foreign Bodies/etiology , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
The clinicopathological features of two unusual cystic lesions, one arising in the nose, a calcified mucocele or a calcified retention cyst and the other in the maxillary sinus, a dentigerous cyst originating in a supernumerary tooth, are described. The literature on these two rare lesions is briefly reviewed.
Subject(s)
Cysts/etiology , Nasal Cavity , Nose Diseases/etiology , Paranasal Sinus Diseases/etiology , Tooth, Supernumerary/complications , Adolescent , Adult , Calcinosis/complications , Female , Humans , Male , Mucocele/complicationsABSTRACT
A rare case of osteosarcoma primarily originating in the nasopharynx of an 11-year-old Papua New Guinean female who received irradiation and multi-agent chemotherapy for unilateral non-hereditary retinoblasma is described. The relevant literature is briefly reviewed. The complex role of radiation, cytotoxic drugs and genes in the development of a second malignant neoplasm in association with retinoblasma is also discussed.
Subject(s)
Eye Neoplasms/therapy , Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/pathology , Neoplasms, Second Primary/pathology , Osteosarcoma/pathology , Retinoblastoma/therapy , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Child , Combined Modality Therapy , Eye Neoplasms/genetics , Female , Humans , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/pathology , Papua New Guinea , Radiotherapy Dosage , Retinoblastoma/genetics , Skull Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
Hearing loss, with its cause, type and degree, was studied in patients who attended the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Outpatient Clinic at the Port Moresby General Hospital for a period of 5 years from 1987 to 1992. It was found that 1150 (18%) of the patient population attending the ENT Clinic had hearing loss. Audiological evaluation was performed in 583 patients. More males presented to the clinic with hearing loss than females. Otitis media was the most common identified cause of hearing loss followed by ear trauma and meningitis/cerebral malaria. Assaults were the major cause of traumatic hearing loss. Lack of awareness on the part of both professionals and parents affected early identification of hearing loss, especially in children, whose development of speech and language was seriously impaired. The need for implementation of suitable rehabilitation measures by the health services is emphasized.
