Nasopharyngeal sarcoidosis: case reports and literature review.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic inflammatory chronic disease characterized by the presence of noncaseating granulomas most frequently in lungs and in intrathoracic lymph nodes. The nasopharyngeal form is unusual and noncommon in the ENT practice. Background and objectives: In order to establish a correct knowledge about this rare disease, we report two different cases of nasopharyngeal sarcoidosis moreover all the available literature is reviewed. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature review was made through PubMed databases, according to the PRISMA guidelines (1), combining the following key words: Nasopharyngeal, Rhinopharynx, Sarcoidosis, in publications between 1951 and 2020. In addition, we reported our personal experience on the disease by describing two clinical cases that occurred at our clinic in November 2018 and June 2019. Results: 16 articles reported 27 cases of nasopharyngeal sarcoidosis. The number of males was 13 (48,2%) and the number of females was 14 (51,8%) with a mean age at the diagnosis of 35,28 ± 13.05 years old (range 5 - 64). In 16 (59,3%) cases nasopharyngeal sarcoidosis was associated with lungs and/or intrathoracic lymph nodes involvement; nasal obstruction was the most frequently reported symptom (51,8% of subjects). Conclusions: Nasopharyngeal sarcoidosis can mimic several disorders of the upper airway respiratory tract and it must therefore be considered in the differential diagnosis. A biopsy of nonspecific lesions in the nasopharynx is advisable to permit several early diagnosis of upper airway respiratory tract disorders including sarcoidosis.

PD-L1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma: A key biomarker from the laboratory to the bedside.

OBJECTIVES AND BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a highly malignant disease with an increasing incidence. The need to improve therapeutic strategies for patients affected by OSCC is an urgent challenge. Currently, the advent of immunotherapy represents an important step toward this aim. Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), a membrane protein that can be expressed on tumor and inflammatory cells is a key biomarker whose expression is determined by means of immunohistochemistry and is necessary for selecting patients for immunotherapy. METHODS: In this study, we review the methods of PD-L1 assessment and outcomes achieved with immunotherapy in the treatment of OSCC patients. RESULTS: Based on a meta-analysis we demonstrate a lack of prognostic significance of PD-L1 in OSCC. CONCLUSIONS: We also highlight unresolved issues including difficulties in standardizing PD-L1 evaluation and discuss future opportunities such as leveraging digital pathology.

Artificial intelligence in head and neck cancer diagnosis.

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently being used to augment histopathological diagnostics in pathology. This systematic review aims to evaluate the evolution of these AI-based diagnostic techniques for diagnosing head and neck neoplasms. Materials and methods: Articles regarding the use of AI for head and neck pathology published from 1982 until March 2022 were evaluated based on a search strategy determined by a multidisciplinary team of pathologists and otolaryngologists. Data from eligible articles were summarized according to author, year of publication, country, study population, tumor details, study results, and limitations. Results: Thirteen articles were included according to inclusion criteria. The selected studies were published between 2012 and March 1, 2022. Most of these studies concern the diagnosis of oral cancer; in particular, 6 are related to the oral cavity, 2 to the larynx, 1 to the salivary glands, and 4 to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma not otherwise specified (NOS). As for the type of diagnostics considered, 12 concerned histopathology and 1 cytology. Discussion: Starting from the pathological examination, artificial intelligence tools are an excellent solution for implementing diagnosis capability. Nevertheless, today the unavailability of large training datasets is a main issue that needs to be overcome to realize the true potential.

Experience in Transoral Robotic Surgery in Pediatric Subjects: A Systematic Literature Review.

Pediatric transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has improved from 2007 to 2020, widening its indications and feasibility. This article aims to systematically analyze the procedures performed from the first use until the current year, observing their evolution over time. A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases between March 1, 2000, and April 1, 2020. We selected studies that were written only in English and were performed in live human subjects. About 16 studies were found with a total of 73 subjects treated, among them 41 were men and 32 were women with an average age of 6.8 ± 4.99 years. There have been four (5.47%) conversions. Both functional and benign-malignant diseases have been treated in the series. Eleven (15.06%) pre-operative tracheostomy and zero post-operative tracheostomy were performed. The bleeding data was only reported in 9 studies and was <50 ml. Only one (1.36%) intra-operative complication and 10 (12.32%) postoperative complications were reported. We consider the TORS procedures in pediatric subjects safe, feasible and with good surgical outcomes up to the laryngeal region.

Human papillomavirus-related head and neck adenosquamous carcinoma: A systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis.

This work examined published papers of patients affected by human papillomavirus-related head and neck adenosquamous carcinoma. Demographic data, tumor site and sub-site, TNM stage, HPV status (positive VS negative) and the technique used for its identification, the treatments performed, follow-up time and patient's status at follow-up were assessed. Three papers including 26 patients resulted eligible for the study. The incidence of HPV-positive Adenosquamous Carcinomas located in the oropharynx was significantly higher than HPV-negative tumors (p = 0.01), especially if the origin of primary unknown tumors was considered within this anatomical site (p < 0.0001). HPV-positive Adenosquamous Carcinomas had a higher incidence of small primary tumor (Tx + T1) (p = 0.03) and bulky cervical lymph node metastasis (N2) at presentation (p = 0.02). HPV-positive and HPV-negative tumors had similar OS and DFS. Head & Neck HPV-positive Adenosquamous Carcinoma seems to act like HPV-positive conventional Squamous Cell Carcinoma, thus we suggest to determine the HPV status of Adenosquamous Carcinoma during the diagnostic phase.

Functional and aesthetic outcomes of pedicled temporalis muscle flap for mesostructure reconstruction.

The purpose of this work is to analyse the soundness of the Temporalis Muscle Flap as a safe and reliable flap to restore the aesthetic and functions of the facial mesostructure after its partial resection. Subjects were selected retrospectively and were invited to come to our outpatient clinic. Here, subjects completed a clinical evaluation in which the medical examiners evaluated the aesthetic outcome, the phonation, the ocular motility and the swallowing. Twenty-two subjects were enrolled in this study and completed the clinical evaluation. The mean value of the score obtained for the aesthetic outcome was 2.91 ± 0.92, slightly less than good. The VHI-30 questionnaire for voice evaluation obtained a mean score of 22.5 ± 11.5, pointing out minor voice problems. The mean value of the P-score evaluated during Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing was 4.64 ± 0.95, highlighting the near absence of endoscopic signs of dysphagia. On the evaluation of ocular function, only one subject showed an inferior displacement of his right eyeball without vertical diplopia. The Temporalis Muscle Flap is a safe and reliable flap that can be used to reconstruct numerous surgical defects of the maxilla, giving an excellent recovery of physical aspect, phonation, and swallowing.

Is the Da Vinci Xi system a real improvement for oncologic transoral robotic surgery? A systematic review of the literature.

In this paper, we reviewed the current literature about TORS procedures performed with Xi system and we discussed the pros and cons of this robotic system comparing it to the previous Si model. A systematic literature review was conducted using the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane databases for adequate published studies about TORS procedure performed with da Vinci Si and Xi models. Five papers on the TORS-Xi procedures met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. These papers showed results based on 74 subjects (mean age 60.51 ± 4.55 years old). The most common TORS procedure was performed to address the oropharynx (65 procedures). One case (1.35%) of a tongue base tumor was converted into a transmandibular approach. One subject (1.35%) had a positive margin, while two subjects (2.7%) had close/uncertain margins at final histology. Nine papers on the TORS-Si procedures met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. These papers showed results based on 128 subjects (mean age 59.79 ± 5.93 years old). The most common TORS procedure was performed to address the oropharynx (90 procedures). Three procedures (2.34%) were aborted due to inadequate exposure of the tumor. None of the subject had positive margins, while three subjects (2.34%) had close/uncertain margins at final histology. Despite its improved vision, easier docking and narrower robotic arms, the da Vinci Xi system has structural peculiarities that limit its applications for certain TORS procedures.

Analysis of the Skew Deviation to Evaluate the Period of Onset of a Canalolithiasis After Macular Damage.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common peripheral vestibular end-organ disease, and it is one of the first causes of access to the emergency room. The moment of migration of the otoconial debris in a semicircular canal does not necessarily coincide with the moment of detachment of the debris themselves. Consequently, the paroxysmal positional vertigo could arise with a variable delay with respect to the mechanical damage suffered by the macula. The aim of this work is to try to identify objective criteria to establish whether a canalolithiasis is synchronous or diachronic to the damage. The analysis of skew deviation in the context of ocular tilt reaction in patients with canalolithiasis could provide useful information to understand if macular damage occurred at the origin of the disease and when the damage may have occurred. In this study, 38 patients with BPPV were analyzed based on the type of skew deviation that was presented. We found that if the eye on the side of the canalolithiasis is hypotropic the damage of the utriculus is likely recent (last 10 days), if it is hypertropic the damage is not recent (20 days before) and finally if the eyes are at the same height it could be an utricular damage in compensation (occurring the last 10-20 days) or a secondary labyrinth canalolithiasis, without associated utricular damage. Our results show that the evaluation of skew deviation in patients suffering from BPPV could be useful to evaluate: (a) if a positional paroxysmal nystagmus can be related to an previous relevant injury event (for example a head injury that occurred days before the crisis); (b) if it is a BPPV of recent onset or a re-entry of the debris into the canal.