Imaging of Neck Nodes in Head and Neck Cancers - a Comprehensive Update.

Cervical lymph node metastases from head and neck squamous cell cancers significantly reduce disease-free survival and worsen overall prognosis and, hence, deserve more aggressive management and follow-up. As per the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual, extranodal extension, especially in human papillomavirus-negative cancers, has been incorporated in staging as it is important in deciding management and significantly impacts the outcome of head and neck squamous cell cancer. Lymph node imaging with various radiological modalities, including ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, has been widely used, not only to demonstrate nodal involvement but also for guided histopathological evaluation and therapeutic intervention. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, together with positron emission tomography, are used widely for the follow-up of treated patients. Finally, there is an emerging role for artificial intelligence in neck node imaging that has shown promising results, increasing the accuracy of detection of nodal involvement, especially normal-appearing nodes. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the diagnosis and management of involved neck nodes with a focus on sentinel node anatomy, pathogenesis, imaging correlates (including radiogenomics and artificial intelligence) and the role of image-guided interventions.

Is routine neck dissection warranted at salvage laryngectomy?

BACKGROUND: There is controversy regarding management of the neck at salvage laryngectomy. The aim of this study was to perform an analysis to determine the incidence of occult node positivity in this group and analyse factors affecting it. METHOD: A retrospective analysis of 171 patients who underwent salvage total laryngectomy between 2000 and 2015 for recurrent or residual disease following definitive non-surgical treatment and were clinico-radiologically node negative at the time salvage laryngectomy was carried out. RESULTS: A total of 171 patients with laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancers underwent concurrent neck dissection at laryngectomy. There were 162 patients (94.7 per cent) who underwent bilateral neck dissection, and 9 patients (5.3 per cent) who underwent ipsilateral neck dissection. The occult lateral nodal metastasis rate was 10.5 per cent. Of various factors, initial node positive disease was the only factor predicting occult metastasis on univariable and multivariable analysis (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Risk of occult metastasis is high in patients who have node positive disease before starting radiotherapy. This group should be offered elective neck dissection.

An Audit for Radiotherapy Planning and Treatment Errors From a Low-Middle-Income Country Centre.

AIMS: To report the findings of an audit for radiotherapy errors from a low-middle-income country (LMICs) centre. This would serve as baseline data for radiotherapy error rates, their severity and causes, in such centres where modern error reporting and learning processes still do not exist. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A planned cross-sectional weekly audit of electronic radiotherapy charts at the radiotherapy planning and delivery step for all patients treated with curative intent was conducted. Detailed analysis was carried out to determine the step of origin of error, time and contributing factors. They were graded as per indigenous institutional (TMC) radiotherapy error grading (TREG) system and the contributing factors identified were prioritised using the product of frequency, severity and ease of detection. RESULTS: In total, 1005 consecutive radically treated patients' charts were audited, 67 radiotherapy errors affecting 60 patients, including 42 incidents and 25 near-misses were identified. Transcriptional errors (29%) were the most common type. Most errors occurred at the time of treatment planning (59.7%), with "plan information transfer to the radiation oncology information system" being the most frequently affected sub-step of the radiotherapy process (47.8%). More errors were noted at cobalt units (52/67; 77.6%) than at linear accelerators. Trend analysis showed an increased number of radiotherapy incidents on Fridays and near-misses on Mondays. Trend for increased radiotherapy errors noted in the evening over other shifts. On severity grading, most of the errors (54/60; 90%) were clinically insignificant (grade I/II). Inadequacies and non-adherence towards standard operating procedures, poor documentation and lack of continuing education were the three most prominent causes. CONCLUSION: Preliminary data suggest a vulnerability of LMIC set-up to radiotherapy errors and emphasises the need for the development of longitudinal prospective processes, such as voluntary reporting and a continued education system, to ensure robust and comprehensive safe practises on par with centres in developed countries.

Invasion of the mandible in gingivobuccal complex cancers: Histopathological analysis of routes of tumour entry and correlation with preoperative assessment.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the most accurate imaging modality predicting mandibular invasion in gingivobuccal (GB) complex cancers. To determine patterns of invasion and routes of tumour entry into the mandible by detailed histopathologic analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective observational study of GB Complex cancers juxtaposed with the mandible clinically necessitating some form of mandibular resection. Orthopantomogram (OPG), Multi Detector Computed Tomography (MDCT), DENTA scan and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography scan (SPECT) were performed after which the patient was subjected to surgery. Histopathological assessment was systematically performed with serial cuts of the mandibular segment. RESULTS: Of 70 patients, MDCT was the most accurate with area under curve (AUC) of 0.833. OPG, DENTA and SPECT had AUC of 0.714, 0.786 and 0.738 respectively. Mean calculated difference of involved height was -0.025 cm by MDCT (p value 0.87), -0.2 cm by OPG (p value 0.09) and 0.12 by DENTA scan (p value 0.41). Mean difference of involved length was -0.51 cm (p value 0.08) and -1.02 cm (p value 0.04) for MDCT and OPG respectively. 50% of tumour invasion was through the occlusal route while large tumours demonstrated multiple routes of entry. CONCLUSION: -Gingivobuccal complex cancers are homogenous with respect to mandibular invasion, preferred route of tumour entry being the occlusal surface. -Multidetector CT scan is fairly accurate in detecting mandibular involvement and predicting extent of involvement. -Oncological safety can be achieved by positioning the bone cuts corresponding to the adjacent soft tissue margins in segmental mandibulectomy.

Barriers in conducting clinical trials in oncology in the developing world: A cross-sectional survey of oncologists.

BACKGROUND: Several obstacles impede oncologists from performing clinical trials in the developing world. This study aimed to identify these barriers in order of importance and suggest possible remedial measures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Design - cross-sectional survey. Two part questionnaire capturing experience of oncologists in practice and conducting trials (Part 1) and perceived barriers pertaining to investigator (training, time), patient (strict follow-up protocol), infrastructure (funds) and professional environment (encouragement from seniors) (Part 2) were administered to oncologists in two different settings: (1) Online portal (Survey Monkey) (2) In person during a national conference (Best of American Society of Clinical Oncology). Responses were captured on a Likert scale (1-5). RESULTS: (436/3021) 14.04% responded. A total of 313 (71.8%) had experience in conducting trials, but these were mainly industry-sponsored or small nonpractice changing studies. Lack of patient follow-up was the most significant barrier (inter quartile range [IQR] 4-5) followed by inadequate training, time and funds (IQR 2-5) and lack of encouragement (IQR 2-4) in decreasing order of frequency. Lack of adequate training was a barrier across all specialties (113 [71.97%] radiation oncologists, 71 [60.68%] medical oncologists and 73 [71.56%] surgical oncologists). More than half of the respondents without experience in clinical trials worked in academic institutions (50.48%). They perceived time constraint as a barrier more than their counterparts into private practice (175/242 [72.31%] vs. 119/177 [66.47%] respectively). CONCLUSION: Inability to maintain patient follow-up, lack of protected time and funds, inadequate training were the most significant barriers. Most of these can be addressed.

Positron emission tomography thyroid incidentaloma: Is it different in Indian subcontinent?

BACKGROUND: Positron emission tomography (PET) forms an integral part in work-up and follow-up of various malignancies. With the increased use of PET in oncology, finding of an incidental focal thyroid uptake (incidentaloma) is not unusual and presents a diagnostic challenge. AIM: The aim of the following study is to evaluate the frequency and radio-pathologic correlation of focal 18-fluoro deoxyglucose uptake (FDG) on PET within the thyroid from a large series. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of 37,000 consecutive patients who underwent FDG-PET at tertiary cancer center in India. Radiological, pathological, PET scan and follow-up details were evaluated. Statistical analyzes were carried out using Mann Whitney test and Pearson correlation. RESULTS: Abnormal thyroid uptake was seen in 78 (0.2%) patients. Nearly 61 (0.16%) scans had focal and 17 (0.04%) had diffuse FDG uptake. A total of 57 patients with focal uptake were available for further evaluation. No further evaluation was done in 24 (42.1%) patients who had advanced index malignancy. Of the remaining 33 patients 26 were benign and seven were a cause for concern (four primary thyroid cancers, one follicular neoplasm with hurthle cell change and two metastatic cancers). There was no significant correlation in Standardized uptake value (SUV) max of benign and malignant lesion (P = 0.5 on Mann Whitney) or size (r = 0.087 Pearson correlation co-efficient P= 0.667). CONCLUSION: Incidence of PET incidentaloma is low in this large cohort of Indian patients. Nearly 27% of focal incidentaloma were malignant. There was no correlation between the SUVmax, size and malignancy.

Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography in carcinoma nasopharynx: Can we predict outcomes and tailor therapy based on postradiotherapy fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography?

BACKGROUND: Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is an emerging modality for staging and response evaluation in carcinoma nasopharynx. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of PET-CT in assessing response and outcomes in carcinoma nasopharynx. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five patients of nonmetastatic carcinoma nasopharynx who underwent PET-CT for response evaluation at 10-12 weeks posttherapy between 2004 and 2009 were evaluated. Patients were classified as responders (Group A) if there was a complete response on PET-CT or as nonresponders (Group B) if there was any uptake above the background activity. Data regarding demographics, treatment, and outcomes were collected from their records and compared across the Groups A and B. RESULTS: The median age was 41 years. 42 out of 45 (93.3%) patients had WHO Grade 2B disease (undifferentiated squamous carcinoma). 24.4%, 31.1%, 15.6, and 28.8% patients were in American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage IIb, III, Iva, and IVb. All patients were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by concomitant chemoradiotherapy. Forty-five patients, 28 (62.2%) were classified as responders, whereas 17 (37.8%) were classified as nonresponders. There was no significant difference in the age, sex, WHO grade, and stage distribution between the groups. Compliance to treatment was comparable across both groups. The median follow-up was 25.3 months (759 days). The disease-free survival (DFS) of the group was 57.3% at 3 years. The DFS at 3 years was 87.3% and 19.7% for Group A and B, respectively (log-rank test, P < 0.001). Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed Groups to be the only significant factor predicting DFS (P value 0.002 and < 0.001, respectively). In Group B, the most common site of disease failure was distant (9, 53%). CONCLUSION: PET-CT can be used to evaluate response and as a tool to identify patients at higher risk of distant failure. Further, this could be exploited to identify patients who may need treatment intensification. This needs to be validated prospectively.

Delay in seeking specialized care for oral cancers: experience from a tertiary cancer center.

OBJECTIVE: Advanced oral cancers are a challenge for treatment, as they require complex procedures for excision and reconstruction. Despite being occurring at a visible site and can be detected easily, many patients present in advanced stages with large tumors. Timely intervention is important in improving survival and quality of life in these patients. The aim of the present study was to find out the causes of delay in seeking specialist care in advanced oral cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective questionnaire based study was done on 201 consecutive advanced oral squamous cancer patients who underwent surgery at our hospital. All patients had either cancer of gingivobuccal complex (GBC) or tongue and had tumors of size more than 4 cm (T3/T4) and were treatment naοve at presentation. RESULTS: Even though most patients observed abnormal lesions in their mouth, majority delayed the decision to visit a physician early. A significant percentage of patients (50%) also reported a delayed diagnosis by the primary care physician before being referred to a tertiary care center for definitive treatment. The average total duration from symptoms to treatment was 7 months. CONCLUSION: The main reasons of this delay in receiving treatment were due to patients themselves (primary delay) or due to time taken by the primary physician to diagnose the condition (secondary delay). Oral self-examination can be helpful in detecting oral cancers early.

Microbial colonization of Provox voice prosthesis in the Indian scenario.

INTRODUCTION: Tracheoesophageal speech using the voice prosthesis is considered to be the "gold standard" with success rates as high as 90%. Despite significant developments, majority eventually develop dysfunction due to microbial deterioration. We did a pilot study of 58 laryngectomy patients who developed prosthesis dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 58 laryngectomy patients who had their dysfunctional prosthesis removed were included in this study. Dysfunctional prostheses were removed and examined. Esophageal and tracheal flanges were examined separately. After obtaining pure fungal and bacterial cultures, the yeast strains were identified. Bacteria were identified with the light microscope and gram staining. We analyzed prosthesis lifespan and probable factors affecting it. RESULTS: Central leak was found in 43% cases while in 57% peri-prosthetic leakage was the most common reason for prosthesis replacement. Microbial analysis revealed a combination of yeast and bacteria in approximately 55% culture samples. Out of these, almost 90% had the presence of single yeast species with bacteria. Pure fungal culture was identified in rest of the 45% cultures while none detected pure bacterial forms. Candida tropicalis was the solitary yeast in 81% while Candida albicans was seen in 10% as the solitary yeast. Bacterial isolates revealed Klebsiella pneumonia in 19%, Escherichia coli in 8% while Staphylococcus aureus was grown in 1% cultures. The consumption of curd (P = 0.036, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 2.292-64.285) to have a significant correlation of the mean prosthesis lifespan. Consumption of curd (P = 0.001, 95% CI: 0.564-2.008) and history of prior radiotherapy (P = 0.015, 95% CI: 0.104-0.909) had a significant bearing on the Provox prosthesis lifespan. CONCLUSIONS: Candida is the most common organism grown on voice prosthesis in Indian scenario. Consumption of curd and history of prior radiotherapy significantly affect Provox prosthesis lifespan.

Thyroid gland involvement in carcinoma of the hypopharynx.

OBJECTIVE: The thyroid gland is removed en bloc during laryngectomy. There are no objective criteria for deciding the extent of thyroid gland resection in primary hypopharyngeal cancer cases. The present study aimed to determine the incidence of thyroid gland involvement in hypopharyngeal cancer and identify the various predictors of this involvement. METHOD: This paper reports a retrospective analysis of 358 patients with hypopharyngeal cancer, who underwent total laryngectomy with partial or total pharyngectomy at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai between 2004 and 2010. RESULTS: The mean age of this population was 61 years. The pyriform sinus was the most common hypopharyngeal subsite involved (in 89 per cent of cases). Most patients underwent hemi-thyroidectomy as part of their surgery. The thyroid gland was involved in only 13 per cent of cases. CONCLUSION: Thyroid gland involvement is not common in hypopharyngeal cancer. Cases that involved the post-cricoid area, subglottic extension, extralaryngeal spread or prior tracheostomy were associated with a higher risk of thyroid gland involvement. Ipsilateral thyroidectomy is sufficient in most patients undergoing surgery (laryngectomy with partial or total pharyngectomy) for hypopharyngeal cancers.

Clinical significance of aberrant vimentin expression in oral premalignant lesions and carcinomas.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of vimentin expression at early and late events of tobacco/areca nut-associated oral tumorigenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was carried out on paraffin-embedded tissues of oral mucosa normal (n = 10), inflammatory lesions (n = 19), leukoplakia (n = 52), submucous fibrosis (n = 71) and tumours/cut margins (n = 227 each), using anti-vimentin antibody, and the expression profile was correlated with patients' clinical parameters. Immunofluorescence, Western blot and RT-PCR analysis were also carried out wherever adequate and fresh tissues were available. RESULTS: Aberrant vimentin expression was seen in hyperplastic, dysplastic and fibrotic tissues, which showed statistically significant correlation with the histopathological grade of dysplasia (P = 0.001) and fibrosis (P = 0.009). Vimentin expression also showed statistically significant correlation with tumour size (P = 0.048), clinical stage (P = 0.013), regional lymph node metastases (P = 0.001), local recurrence (P = 0.001) and survival (P = 0.021) of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Its expression in invasive fronts statistically correlated with development of nodal metastasis and local recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest possible role of vimentin in early events of tobacco/areca nut-associated oral tumorigenesis, which may prove useful to predict the malignant potential of high-risk oral lesions. Further, association between vimentin expression in invasive fronts and aggressive phenotype of tumours may help clinicians to choose the appropriate treatment modality for OSCC management.

Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this retrospective study was to find out the role of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in changing the management and outcome of advanced hypopharyngeal cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of 59 treatment naïve, advanced hypopharyngeal cancer patients presenting to our tertiary care center from April 2010 to October 2011. NACT was given as two (platinum with taxane) or three drug with (platinum, taxane with 5-flurouracil [5 FU]) as 3 weekly regimen with cisplatin and docetaxel as 75 mg/m 2 each, 5-FU as 1000 mg/m 2 . NACT was either given with the intent of achieving: (1) surgical resection (extensive soft tissue disease, oropharyngeal involvement, extensive disease with cartilage erosion) or (2) organ preservation (Bulky disease with inner cartilage erosion, exolaryngeal disease without cartilage erosion, large N3 nodes). RESULTS: The mean age of this population was 55 years. Most (83%) of the patients had pyriform sinus (PFS) involvement. 69% patients had Stage IVa disease, 21% Stage IVb and 10% Stage III. The overall response rate was 66%, including 06% complete responses and 60% partial responses. Following NACT, resectability was achieved in 30% (10/33) and organ preservation protocol was planned after NACT in 73% (19/26) patients. The main toxicities were neutropenia (grade 3, 4, 04%; febrile neutropenia, 4%), mucositis 5%, diarrhea 5%. The median progression free survival was 20 months. CONCLUSIONS: NACT can be useful in patients with oropharyngeal involvement to achieve surgical resection and larynx preservation in patients with bulky T3 disease.

Ancient schwannoma of the parapharynx causing dysphagia: a rare entity.

A schwannoma is a benign, encapsulated tumour that is derived from neural sheath (Schwann) cells. Approximately 25-40% of schwannomas occur in the head and neck. The most common site is the parapharyngeal space of the neck; oropharyngeal occurrence is extremely rare. Among the various histological types of schwannomas reported to date, the ancient (degenerative) variant is the most rare. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an ancient schwannoma in the parapharynx with an extensive oropharyngeal component causing dysphagia. Dysphagia was the prominent symptom because of the location and volume of the lesion. The tumour was excised via a transcervical approach.

Cut margins and disease control in oral cancers.

AIM: This retrospective study was done to evaluate the impact of cut margins on disease-free survival in patients with previously untreated oral squamous cell cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records of 306 cases were reviewed for clinical details and status of margins at resection. The independent influence of margins on recurrence was analyzed. The impact of frozen section analysis on achieving free margins was also examined. RESULTS: 190 (62.1%) patients had negative margins of resection (≥ 5 mm), 102 (33.3%) patients had close margins (1-5 mm), while 14 (4.6%) patients had positive margins (≤ 1 mm). The median follow-up for the entire cohort was 26.5 months. There were 79 (25.8%) recurrences, of which, 46 (58.2%) were local, 9 (11.3%) were locoregional, 16 (20.2%) were regional, and 8 (10.1%) were distant metastasis. 42 (22.2%) cases with negative margins developed a recurrence as compared to 31 (30.4%) cases with close margins and 6 (42.8%) cases with positive margins (P value 0.01). Average time to recurrence in case of negative margins was 34.8 months, for close margins was 33.9 months, while in those with positive margins was 10.18 months (P value 0.002). Close and positive margins were found to be significantly associated with increased local recurrence (P values 0.01 and 0.03, respectively) and with overall recurrence (P values 0.003 and 0.003, respectively). Frozen section was seen to influence margins in 20.4% cases. CONCLUSION: Margins are an important predictor of disease control. The surgeon must aim for adequate margins at initial resection.

Current status of near-total laryngectomy: review.

Concurrent chemoradiation is currently the accepted 'standard of care' for locally advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers. However, there is a subset of patients not suitable for chemoradiation, in whom primary surgery is the best option. Speech preservation is of prime importance in these patients. Near-total laryngectomy is a voice-preserving procedure which can be considered as an alternative to total laryngectomy for selected patients with lateralised, locally advanced cancers of the larynx and hypopharynx. Although these patients are left with a permanent tracheostomy, lung-powered speech is maintained by way of a dynamic shunt created from the uninvolved tissues of the larynx. Since its first description in the early 1980s, the procedure has been shown by various authors to be oncologically sound, with high success rates. Unfortunately, the procedure has not gained wide acceptance due to perceived fears of surgical complexity. In this review, we discuss the various issues related to the procedure and we review the relevant literature.

Metronomic chemotherapy in advanced oral cancers.

CONTEXT: To assess the feasibility of metronomic chemotherapy in the palliative care setting. AIMS: To study the toxicity profile and efficacy of metronomic chemotherapy for palliation in oral cavity cancers. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects receiving metronomic chemotherapy from August 2010 to January 2011 for palliation in oral cancers subjected to certain criteria were included. Metronomic chemotherapy offered was a combination of twice daily celecoxib 200 mg and weekly methotrexate 15 mg/m 2 .The chemotherapy was continued till disease progression, intolerable side effects or patients' desire to stop. The toxicity profile was reported in accordance with common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE) version 4.02. The efficacy was noted in terms of symptom control, response rates, progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: SPSS version 16 has been utilized. Descriptive analysis has been presented. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed for estimation of the PFS and OS. RESULTS: Eighteen patients with a median age of 50.5 years, 13 males and 5 females, participated in the study. Five patients had received no previous treatment while the rest had some form of previous treatment. ECOG performance status was 1 in 14 patients and 2 in 4 patients. Grade 3-4 mucositis was seen in one patient. Clinical benefit rate was 66.67%. The estimated median PFS and median OS were 5.2 months and not reached respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Use of metronomic chemotherapy seems promising and well tolerated in this setting. Large trials are warranted to confirm these results.

Minor salivary gland tumors of the oral cavity: a case series with review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Minor salivary gland tumors (MSGTs) are unusual, accounting for only 15-20% of all salivary gland tumors. The commonest site of MSGTs of the head and neck is oral cavity. AIMS: To describe our experience with MSGTs of oral cavity seen over a period of one decade and elucidate their prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a period of 10 years, from 1991 to 2000, all MSGTs of oral cavity were analyzed. All demographic, treatment and survival data were recorded. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to find the survival. Multivariate analysis was performed using Cox regression. RESULTS: We treated 104 patients with curative intent. The commonest site was hard palate, accounting for 54.8% of all sites. The commonest histology was adenoid cystic carcinoma (45.2%). There were 17 (16.34%) pleomorphic adenoma cases, while the remaining 87 (83.66%) were minor salivary gland malignancies. Treatment was surgical in 91.3% of patients. Adjuvant radiotherapy was administered in 38.5% of patients. The median follow-up was 50 months. Recurrences were seen in 22 (25.3%) of the 87 malignant cases. Using Kaplan-Meier analysis, the expected 10-year overall and disease-free survivals were 75.2 and 65.8%, respectively. Survivals were better in non-adenoid cystic tumors (non-ACC). On multivariate analysis, T status, tumor grade and adjuvant therapy were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: MSGTs of oral cavity have good overall survival despite recurrences. T stage, adjuvant radiotherapy and grade are independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival. Adenoid cystic tumors have worse outlook than non-ACC.

Ectopic thyroid masquerading as submandibular tumour: a case report.

An ectopic thyroid gland may be present in any location along the path of migration from the foramen caecum to the mediastinum. The most common locations for an ectopic thyroid are the lingual thyroid followed by median cervical cysts. An ectopic thyroid in the submandibular region is extremely rare. We present the case of a 44-year-old patient with ectopic thyroid tissue in submandibular space and a review of the literature related to it.

Cetuximab with radiotherapy in patients with loco-regionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck unsuitable or ineligible for concurrent platinum-based chemo-radiotherapy: Ready for routine clinical practice?

PURPOSE: To report outcomes of cetuximab concurrent with radiotherapy in advanced head-neck cancer unsuitable for platinum-based chemo-radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective chart review of 37 patients treated with cetuximab and radiotherapy at a comprehensive cancer centre. RESULTS: Median age of study cohort was 59 years. Thirty four (92%) patients had advanced stage disease (stage III-IV). Reasons for ineligibility for platinum included impaired creatinine-clearance, old age, and/or co-morbidities. Thirty-two (86%) patients completed planned radiotherapy without interruption; 29 (80%) patients received ≥6 cycles of cetuximab. Fifteen patients (40.5%) developed ≥grade 3 dermatitis; 9 patients (25%) experienced ≥grade 3 mucositis. At a median follow-up of 16 months, the 2-year loco-regional control, disease-free survival, and overall survival was 35.5%, 29.5%, and 44.4% respectively. Stage grouping and severe dermatitis were significant predictors of outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Cetuximab concurrent with radiotherapy is a reasonable alternative in advanced head-neck cancer patients with acceptable compliance and outcomes, but higher skin toxicity.