Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:The present study characterizes national trends in the utilization of adjuvant chemotherapy to treat salivary gland malignancies. METHODS:The National Cancer Database was queried for salivary gland malignancies treated by surgery with radiation in 2004-2019. Proportions of patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy over the study period were analyzed by linear regression. The impact of chemotherapy on overall survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses. RESULTS:Among 15 965 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 2355 (14.8%) received adjuvant chemotherapy. Chemotherapy utilization significantly increased from 4.9% to 16.5% over the study period (p < 0.001). No survival benefit was observed with adjuvant chemotherapy on propensity score-matched Kaplan-Meier analysis (HR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.86-1.11; p = 0.72) or multivariable Cox regression (HR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.78-1.09; p = 0.34). CONCLUSIONS:Adjuvant chemotherapy has been increasingly utilized to treat salivary gland malignancies in recent years. Our findings highlight the importance of obtaining high-quality prospective data regarding the benefit of chemotherapy.

Importance/UNASSIGNED:Over time, the American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines have increasingly promoted more limited treatments for well-differentiated thyroid cancers. Objective/UNASSIGNED:To determine whether the 2009 and 2015 ATA guidelines were associated with changes in the management of low-risk papillary thyroid carcinomas on a national scale. Design, Setting, and Participants/UNASSIGNED:This historical cohort study used the National Cancer Database. All papillary thyroid carcinomas diagnosed from 2004 to 2019 in the National Cancer Database were selected. Patients with tumors of greater than 4 cm, metastases, or clinical evidence of nodal disease were excluded. Data were analyzed from August 1, 2021, to September 1, 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures/UNASSIGNED:The primary aim was to tabulate changes in the rates of thyroid lobectomy (TL), total thyroidectomy (TT), and TT plus radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy after the 2009 and 2015 ATA guidelines. The secondary aim was to determine in which settings (eg, academic vs community) the practice patterns changed the most. Results/UNASSIGNED:A total of 194 254 patients (155 796 [80.2%] female patients; median [range] age at diagnosis, 51 [18-90] years) who underwent treatment during the study period were identified. Among patients who underwent surgery, rates of TL decreased from 15.1% to 13.7% after the 2009 guidelines but subsequently increased to 22.9% after the 2015 changes. Among patients undergoing TT, rates of adjuvant RAI decreased from 48.7% to 37.1% after 2009 and to 19.3% after the 2015 guidelines. Trends were similar for subgroups based on sex and race and ethnicity. However, academic institutions saw larger increases in TL rates (14.9% to 25.7%) than community hospitals (16.3% to 19.5%). Additionally, greater increases in TL rates were observed for tumors 1 to 2 cm (6.8% to 18.9%) and 2 to 4 cm (6.6% to 16.0%) than tumors less than 1 cm (22.8% to 29.2%). Conclusions and Relevance/UNASSIGNED:In this cohort study among patients with papillary thyroid carcinomas up to 4 cm, ATA guideline changes corresponded with increased TL and reduced adjuvant RAI. These changes were primarily seen in academic institutions, suggesting an opportunity to expand guideline-based care in the community setting.

Introduction: Thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology combined with molecular testing guides individualized patient management by providing information regarding tumor biology and the risk of recurrence associated with specific mutations in the indeterminate groups (Bethesda group III-V). Thyroid adenomaassociated (THADA)-IGF2BP3 fusions have been identified as an oncogenic event in thyroid neoplasms, but the clinical-pathologic features and subsequent management are not well-established. Here we report the findings associated with thyroid nodules with THADA-IGFBP3 fusions in our institution.
Material(s) and Method(s): FNA cytology samples of thyroid nodules during 01/2015-12/2016 with the diagnosis of atypia of undetermined significance or follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS; Bethesda III), follicular neoplasm/ suspicious for follicular neoplasm (FN/SFN; Bethesda IV) and suspicious for malignancy (Bethesda V) with corresponding ThyroSeqV2 data were assessed. Molecular test results yielding a THADA gene fusion were identified. In addition, follow-up surgical pathology and available radiology results were reviewed.
Result(s): 186 out of 558 (33.3%) thyroid nodules displayed molecular alterations; 7 out of 186 (3.8%) Bethesda category III-V nodules with ThyroSeq molecular alterations displayed isolated THADA-IGFBP2 fusions (Table 1). The median age was 45 years. The female to male ratio was 5:2. The nodule sizes ranged from 1.8 to 5.0 cm. Four (57%) patients had surgery; three cases displayed noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) on histology; one case was a follicular adenoma. No patients had recurrence or metastasis on follow-up.
Conclusion(s): Our pilot study shows that thyroid nodules with THADA-IGF2BP3 fusions display low-risk/indolent features. These findings may aid in clinical management decisions in patients presenting with thyroid nodules with isolated THADAIGF2BP3 fusions on molecular testing

Purpose/Objective(s): HNSCS is a rare diagnosis with an overall poor prognosis. Due to its rarity, our understanding of HNSCS and its optimal management is mainly derived from retrospective and single-institution studies. We aimed to evaluate the disease characteristics, patterns of care, and survival outcomes in patients with HNSCS. Materials/Methods: Using the National Cancer Database (NC

BACKGROUND:Few studies have investigated the needs of head and neck surgery trainees and areas for improvement of fellowship programs. METHODS:We conducted a qualitative study by interviewing a nationally representative sample of program directors and national leaders in head and neck surgery. We asked about the current state and strengths of training; and areas for further improvement. All interviews were independently coded and analyzed by two reviewers. RESULTS:All experts (100%) believed that the current training provides a strong foundation and furthermore, a standardized curriculum is beneficial. Multidisciplinary training (80%), participation in tumor boards (75%), and a syllabus (60%) were the most frequently mentioned components. Most believed that a formal certification process would be beneficial (73%), though there was no consensus on the format. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Experts in head and neck surgery are generally in favor of a standardized curriculum. Further discussions of a formal certification process might be warranted.

BACKGROUND:The recent trends in education and geographic distribution of the head and neck surgery workforce have not been studied extensively. METHODS:We reviewed publicly available sources to locate all fellowship-trained head and neck surgeons and recent graduates. The number of surgeons in each state was compared against head and neck cancer incidence data from the Centers for Disease Control. RESULTS:The number of graduates increased annually by 1 per 100 000 000 people from 2011-2020. The average number of fellowship-trained surgeons per state was 10 (SD: 12). The average number of new head and neck cancer cases per surgeon was 247 (SD: 135). Ten states (20%) had cases >1 SD above the national average/surgeon, while 3 (6%) had cases >1 SD below the national average. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Head and neck surgeons are located in most states, but not uniformly. Most states have approximately average density of surgeons; however, several states are outliers.