The occurrence and pattern of head and neck sarcomas: a comprehensive cancer center experience.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to analyze the demographics, clinicopathological, treatment, and survival characteristics of head and neck sarcomas diagnosed in a reference center in the Brazilian Northeast. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study reviewed the clinical records of patients with head and neck sarcomas. Epidemiologic data consisted in clinical location, age, gender, histopathological diagnosis, clinical TNM staging and treatment. Outcome variables were local recurrence and survival. The statistical analyses were performed by a binary logistic regression analysis. The survival analysis was assessed through the Kaplan-Meier curve. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients with head and neck sarcomas (male 39; female 30) were analyzed. The most common histologic subtypes were rhabdomyosarcoma, dermatofibrosarcoma, and pleomorphic sarcoma. The mean age of the patients at the time of diagnosis was 38.1 years old. A total of 31 patient died (sarcoma-related death) up to the end of the follow-up, with a mean follow-up rate of 1.63 years. A multivariate analysis revealed that anatomical site, treatment modality, histopathological diagnosis, and clinical stage of the disease were associated with specific survival, reaching statistical significance. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the impact of important clinical-pathological parameters on the overall prognosis of head and neck sarcomas.

Signet ring cell component, not the Lauren subtype, predicts poor survival: an analysis of 198 cases of gastric cancer.

AIM: Prognostic differences between major histologic gastric cancer groups, intestinal and diffuse are uncertain, since cellular components in each of them possibly have different behaviors. MATERIALS & METHODS: We reviewed 198 gastric cancer patients charts diagnosed from January 2003 to December 2015 in a tertiary hospital. Multivariate Cox proportional survival models were used to evaluate the impact of histologic groups on overall survival. RESULTS: About a third had the signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC). In a comparison of the different histologic subtypes, SRCC had the worst prognosis of all. The median durations of survival for patients with stage III and stage IV were 19.7 and 7.7 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Signet-ring cell component seem to have a relevant role in defining prognosis for gastric cancer.

Trends in lung cancer incidence by histologic subtype in the south of Spain, 1985-2012: a population-based study.

PURPOSE: To analyze and interpret age- and sex-specific incidence trends of lung cancer in Granada over the period 1985-2012 and to further analyze these trends by histologic subtype. METHODS: Incidence data were obtained from the population-based cancer registry located in Granada (Southern Spain). All cases with newly diagnosed primary lung cancer over the period 1985-2012 (n = 8658) and defined by International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (codes C33-C34) were included. Joinpoint regression analysis of age-standardized incidence rates was used to estimate the annual percent change (APC) and 95% confidence intervals. Results are presented overall and by sex, age groups (0-34, 35-54, 55-64, 65-74, ≥75 years) and histologic subtypes. RESULTS: Temporal trends of incidence rates by sex, over the period 1985-2012, showed a distinct pattern. A significant change point of the trend was observed in males in 1994 (APC: +2.5%; 95% CI 0.7-4.4 from 1985 to 1994 and -1.4%; 95% CI -2.0 to -0.7 from 1994 onward). This general change was mainly caused by the age group 65-74 years and by the higher incidence of squamous cell carcinoma histologic subtype. In females, lung cancer incidence increased over the entire study period by +4.2% per year (95% CI 3.1-5.4); this trend was mainly caused by the age group 55-64 years (APC = +7%) and by adenocarcinoma incidence between women (APC = +6.8%). CONCLUSION: Male lung cancer incidence rates have decreased in Granada, while female rates have increased overall especially in younger women. These trends may reflect the increased consumption of cigarettes in women, especially during younger ages. Lung cancer prevention through tobacco control policies are therefore of utmost importance.