Alfio Ferlito

The incidence of distant metastases in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is relatively small in comparison to other malignancies. Distant metastases adversely impact survival and may significantly affect treatment planning. The incidence of distant metastases is influenced by location of the primary tumor, initial T and N stage of the neoplasm, and the presence or absence of regional control above the clavicle. Patients with advanced nodal disease have a high incidence of ...

Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the larynx have been divided into those of epithelial or neural origin. The latter consist of paragangliomas while the epithelial origin group can be divided into the typical and atypical carcinoids and small cell neuroendocrine carcinomata, the latter consisting of the oat cell type, the intermediate cell type and the combined cell type. There are now over 500 cases of neuroendocrine neoplasms of the larynx in the literature. The diagnosis is primarily based ...

BACKGROUND: The definitive treatment for head and neck paraganglioma (PG) is surgical excision. Unfortunately, surgery, particularly of vagal paraganglioma (VPG; "glomus vagale") and foramen jugulare ("glomus jugulare") tumors, may be complicated by injuries to the lower cranial nerves, a high price to pay for treatment for a benign tumor. Alternatively these tumors may be followed without treatment, or irradiated. The purpose of this review was to compare the existing evidence ...

How far to extend the surgical treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is still an open question. A contribution may come from intra-operative lymphatic mapping because, in other malignancies, the procedure has become an important aid in defining lymph node status. To assess the feasibility of using the sentinel lymph node (SLN) technique with the intratumoral injection of Patent Blue V dye to guide nodal dissection in PTC, 29 patients with a preoperative diagnosis of PTC and no ...

BACKGROUND: Local and/or regional recurrence and metachronous primary tumor arising in a previously irradiated area are rather frequent events in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Re-treatment is associated with an increased risk of serious toxicity and impaired quality of life (QOL) with an uncertain survival advantage.

METHODS: We analyzed the literature on the efficacy and toxicity of photon/electron-based external beam reirradiation for previously ...

Thyroid cancer represents a unique biological tumor where even with the high incidence of distant metastases, the overall prognosis is not as poor as many other human cancers. The overall long-term survival in patients presenting initially with distant metastasis is approximately 50%. The overall incidence of distant metastases varies between 10 and 35%, depending upon the histology. The overall incidence is directly related to various histologies - being least in papillary thyroid ...

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this paper is to determine the optimal elective treatment of the neck for patients with supraglottic and glottic squamous carcinoma. During the past century, various types of necks dissection have been employed including conventional and modified radical neck dissection (MRND), selective neck dissection (SND) and various modifications of SND.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A number of studies were reviewed to compare the results of MRND and SND in regional recurrence ...

Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the larynx are rare but are the most common nonsquamous tumors of this organ. In the past, there has been considerable confusion about the nature and classification of these neoplasms, but the current consensus is that there are 4 different types of laryngeal neuroendocrine tumors composed of paraganglioma, typical carcinoid, atypical carcinoid tumor, and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. Carcinoids and small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas are epithelial ...

Comorbidity, the presence of additional illnesses unrelated to the tumor, has a significant impact on the prognosis of patients with head and neck cancer. In these patients, tobacco and alcohol abuse contributes greatly to comorbidity. Several instruments have been used to quantify comorbidity including Adult Comorbidity Evaluation 27 (ACE 27), Charlson Index (CI) and Cumulative Illness Rating Scale. The ACE 27 and CI are the most frequently used indices. Information on comorbidity at ...

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine neoplasm of the skin. The tumor most frequently affects elderly patients, with a preference for the head and neck. Incidence rates increase with sun exposure and after immunosuppression and organ transplantation. A significant proportion of MCC have been reported to occur in intimate association with malignant epithelial neoplasms. The genetic mechanisms underlying the development and tumor progression of MCC are poorly understood, ...

Concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CRT) has become standard treatment for many patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). This has led to controversy concerning the role of neck dissection (ND) in this setting. The current debate is focused on N2-N3 disease and the ability of a clinical complete response to predict the absence of viable cells in the ND specimen. Proponents of a systematic planned ND argue that it improves regional control and possibly ...

Lymphoid proliferations of the salivary glands can be either reactive or neoplastic. Reactive lesions include the lymphoepithelial sialadenitis (LESA; also known as myoepithelial sialadenitis [MESA]) of Sjogren's syndrome. Lymphomas of the salivary glands are predominantly B-cell type and include extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type. The spectrum of histopathologic features of LESA/MESA includes 1) "fully benign lymphoid ...

Salivary gland neoplasms are a morphologically heterogenous group of lesions that are often diagnostically challenging. In recent years, considerable progress in salivary gland taxonomy has been reached by the discovery of tumor type-specific fusion oncogenes generated by chromosome translocations. This review describes the clinicopathologic features of a selected group of salivary gland carcinomas with a focus on their distinctive genomic characteristics. Mammary analog secretory ...

PurposeManagement of the facial nerve is instrumental in the surgical treatment of parotid cancer.MethodsA literature search was conducted using PubMed and ScienceDirect database. A total of 195 articles were finally included into the analysis, based on relevance, scientific evidence and actuality.ResultsIn the majority of cases the facial nerve is not involved by tumor. In these cases, identification and preservation of the nerve, in addition to complete tumor removal, are essential for ...

The significance of metastatic disease in the lymph nodes of the neck as a critical independent prognostic factor in head and neck cancer has long been appreciated. Although 19th century surgeons attempted to remove involved cervical lymph nodes at the time of resection of the primary cancer, a systematic approach to en bloc removal of cervical lymph node disease, described in detail by Jawdyński in 1888 and popularized and illustrated by Crile in the early 20th century, provided ...