Faculty Bibliography

Laryngeal paragangliomas, although rare, are lesions that warrant appropriate diagnosis and treatment secondary to their location and high risk of bleeding when violated. This article describes a method to workup patients with solid submucosal lesions of the larynx to diagnose a paraganglioma without a biopsy. When recognized preoperatively, a lateral approach to removal can be performed, decreasing the risk of significant bleeding and the need for tracheotomy or permanent laryngostoma. This article also adds two more cases to the reported literature of 75

BACKGROUND: The sub-site predilection of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) reflects the risk profile of a community and there are suggestions that these are changing over time. OBJECTIVE: To determine the change in head and neck cancer in rural and urban populations in India. METHODS: Cancer registry data of an urban and a rural population were reviewed over a period of 13 and 11 years, respectively. Age adjusted rates (AAR) and age specific incidence rates were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Oral cancers formed the majority of the head and neck cancers with a predilection for tongue, except in rural males, in whom the pharynx was the predominant sub-site. Overall there was a reduction in the incidence of HNSCC, which was more pronounced in urban females and rural males (p< .001). Among the sub-sites, oral cavity cancers showed a decreasing trend in urban females (p< .01) and rural males (p< .01). However, the trend was towards increase of incidence of tongue cancers. Pharyngeal cancer showed reduction in urban females (p< .01), whereas it increased in rural females. The recent increase in incidence of young adults with HNSCC reported in developed countries was not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, incidence of HNSCC is reducing. This may be attributed to the decreased prevalence of tobacco use. The increase in incidence of tongue cancer may suggest factors other than tobacco and alcohol in its genesis.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between type of chemoradiation treatment, site of disease, and swallowing function has not been sufficiently examined in patients with head and neck cancer treated primarily with chemoradiation. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with advanced-stage head and neck cancer were evaluated before and 3 months after chemoradiation treatment to define their swallowing disorders and characterize their swallowing physiology by site of lesion and chemoradiation protocol. One hundred forty normal subjects were also studied. RESULTS: The most common disorders at baseline and 3 months after treatment were reduced tongue base retraction, reduced tongue strength, and slowed or delayed laryngeal vestibule closure. Frequency of functional swallow did not differ significantly across disease sites after treatment, although frequency of disorders was different at various sites of lesion. The effects of the chemotherapy protocols were small. CONCLUSIONS: The site of the lesion affects the frequency of occurrence of specific swallow disorders, whereas chemoradiation protocols have minimal effect on oropharyngeal swallow function

Several variants of papillary thyroid cancer have been described, including, most recently, Warthin-like tumor of the thyroid gland. To bring attention to this uncommon variant, we review previous reports on this entity and we add 5 new cases to the literature. We retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients who had undergone thyroidectomy at our institution during a 7-year period. Among these cases, we identified 5 patients who had had a Warthin-like tumor of the thyroid. From their charts, we compiled data on age, sex, lymphadenopathy, distant spread, and treatment. Pathologic specimens were reviewed for tumor size, capsular invasion, and vascular invasion. All 5 patients were women (mean age: 51.6 yr). Tumor size ranged from 0.9 to 2.0 cm. Multifocality was seen in 1 of the 5 patients; this patient was also the only one who experienced capsular and vascular invasion. No patient had lymph node spread or distant metastasis. Because the follow-up period among these patients was still short, we were unable to analyze long-term survival data

OBJECTIVE: To determine if a systematic, concentric graft-carving technique results in less warping than eccentric carving. METHODS: Costal cartilage from ribs 3 through 9 were harvested from fresh human cadavers. Concentric dorsal grafts were carved from cartilage obtained from one side of the cadaver (n = 7) and eccentric grafts were carved from the opposite side (n = 11). After carving, grafts were placed in saline sponges (isotonic sodium chloride) for 1 hour, and photographs were then taken from a lateral and a frontal view. Identical photographs were taken after 2 weeks of incubation in saline (36.7 degrees C). The angle of curvature was measured from the photographs. RESULTS: More warping occurred in the eccentric group than the concentric group on lateral view at 1 hour (4.4 degrees vs 0.4 degrees; P<.001) and at 2 weeks (5.8 degrees vs 1.4 degrees; P = .003). Eccentric grafts progressively warped between the 1-hour and 2-week points. CONCLUSION: Meticulous concentric carving of costal cartilage grafts may minimize the complication of graft warping

Smokeless tobacco and areca nut are popular with South Asians and South Asian immigrants, most commonly used as paan and gutka. Their regular use leads to oral cancer. The South Asian community in the U.S. is rapidly growing, where paan and gutka are readily available. The study was the first exploration of the migration of the paan and gutka habits, and their use in the U.S.A 108-item questionnaire on paan and gutka usage and beliefs was administered to 138 first-generation Bangladeshi and Indian-Gujarati immigrant adults at community sites in the New York metropolitan area. Forty-five percent Indian-Gujaratis reported ever-regular paan use; of which 5% are current users. Thirty-one percent reported ever-regular gutka use; of which 77% are current users. Thirty-five percent Bangladeshis reported ever-regular paan use; of which 70% arc current users. Nine percent reported ever-regular gutka use; of which 67% are current users. Bangladeshis are more likely to identify paan as causing oral cancer. Indian-Gujaratis are more likely to identify gutka as causing oral cancer.Between the two communities, there were significant differences in paan and gutfca usage, migration effects, and oral career risk perception. There is a need for comprehensive migration studies on the determinants of usage, and for community-specific interventions for these carcinogenic products.