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Biomedical subjects

E W Strong

Publications and source records attributed to E W Strong.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Postoperative radiation therapy for major salivary gland malignancies.

Between 1966 and 1982 there have been 46 patients treated with surgery plus post-operative radiation therapy for malignant tumors of salivary gland origin. The indication(s) for radiotherapy included positive margins (42%), advanced local tumor (37%), positive nodes (33%), or high grade histology (48%). Overall actuarial local control at 5 years was 73%, being 100% for T1, 83% for T2, 80% for T3, and 43% for T4. Actuarial survival at 5 years was 80% for T1, 83% for T2, 60% for T3, and 48% for T4. Patients with positive nodes (N+) did worse than those with negative nodes (No), with locoregional control and survival at 5 years being 58% vs. 83%, (P = 0.025) and 38% vs. 80% (P = less than .01), respectively. We found no need for contralateral neck treatment even for those with positive nodes. Also, to date, none of eight patients with adenoid cystic histology has failed locally, as opposed to three of eight failures in patients treated with surgery alone. We believe that post-operative irradiation provides excellent locoregional control for appropriate patients with malignant tumors of major salivary glands.

Adolescent↗

Soft tissue sarcomas of the head and neck in adults.

We reviewed the clinical records and pathologic material of 176 adults with primary soft tissue sarcomas treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center between 1950 and 1985. Seventy-two patients (41%) had low-grade sarcomas and 104 (59%) had high-grade sarcomas. All but 18 patients underwent some form of excision as initial therapy. Adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy combined with surgical excision showed no significant effect. A significantly increased risk of treatment failure was associated with large tumor size, positive surgical margins, bone involvement, local recurrence, metastatic spread, and high histologic grade. Except for recurrence, the p value by univariate analysis in the log-rank test for comparison of survival according to these clinical and pathologic characteristics was p less than 0.0001. Although the overall survival was 75% at 2 years, 55% at 5 years, and 46% at 10 years, only 20% of the patients with high-grade sarcomas were alive 10 years after treatment. Most patients with rhabdomyosarcoma, high-grade peripheral nerve tumor, and high-grade fibrous histiocytoma and all patients with high-grade angiosarcoma died of disease less than 5 years after diagnosis. New therapeutic strategies are needed to improve the survival of adult patients with high-grade soft tissue sarcomas of the head and neck.

Adult↗

Significance of positive margins in oral cavity squamous carcinoma.

Three hundred ninety-eight consecutive, previously untreated patients undergoing surgery for epidermoid carcinoma of the oral cavity from 1979 to 1983 were reviewed. One hundred twenty-nine patients were classified as having positive surgical margins. Of these, 83 patients had tumor within 0.5 mm of the surgical margin, 9 had premalignant changes at the margin, 9 had in situ carcinoma at the margin, and 28 had invasive cancer at the margin. The remaining 269 patients had uninvolved margins. The significance of positive margins relating to survival, subsequent clinical course, local recurrence, and patterns of treatment failure was examined, along with the impact of adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy on positive margins. The percentage of patients having positive margins progressively increased with increasing T stage: 21% in T1 versus 55% in T4 primary cancer. The overall 5-year survival for patients with negative margins was 60%. For patients with positive margins, 5-year survival was 52%. This difference was statistically significant. The incidence of local recurrence in patients having positive surgical margins was twice as much as in those with negative margins (36% versus 18%). Metastasis rates in the neck and at distant sites were not significantly influenced by the status of the surgical margin. Of the 129 patients with positive margins, 49 received postoperative radiotherapy. In those patients so treated, a trend toward lower recurrence rates was noted. Differences were not statistically significant. This retrospective review confirms the importance of adequate resection of the primary tumor as well as the relative ineffectiveness of adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy in the improvement of local control in patients with positive surgical margins.

Adult↗

Squamous carcinoma of the posterior pharyngeal wall.

We have reviewed a 12-year experience with 295 patients treated for squamous carcinoma of the pharynx in order to focus on 78 patients whose lesions arose in the posterior wall. Surgery was the definitive therapy for the primary tumor in 57 (73%), including 3 treatment groups. Thirty-two patients had limited resections that preserved the larynx, involving local excision (7 patients), anterior pharyngotomy (7 patients), lateral pharyngotomy (6 patients), median labiomandibular glossotomy (6 patients), or median mandibulotomy with paralingual extension (6 patients). The second group consisted of 21 patients with more extensive tumors who required a laryngectomy and complex reconstruction, often with postoperative radiotherapy. Finally, there were four patients who developed metachronous second primaries in the pharynx subsequent to a laryngectomy. All required flap reconstruction. Of the 21 patients whose primary treatment was radiotherapy, 5 had lesions that were implanted after access was provided by a mandibulotomy. Cumulative 5-year survival was 32% and ranged from 44% in those with favorable lesions to 15% in those with extensive tumors. Our experience highlights the variety of treatment approaches available in patients with pharyngeal carcinomas confined to the posterior wall. Surgery in this setting carries acceptable morbidity and yields survival rates that compare favorably with those achieved by external radiation therapy alone. Results in patients with extensive lesions still leave much to be desired, despite radical surgery and aggressive radiotherapy. Innovative brachytherapy techniques using surgery for access deserve further investigation.

Adult↗

A management plan for tongue base cancer that includes brachytherapy.

For physiologic as well as oncologic reasons, there has been an increasing interest in radiation therapy as the primary treatment of base of tongue carcinoma. At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, we have used such a plan, using external beam conventional therapy in combination with an interstitial boost of iridium 192 to the primary site, plus planned neck dissections in selected patients. Between 1981 and 1986, 17 patients with untreated base of tongue squamous cell carcinoma were treated in this manner. Thirteen of the 17 are disease-free as a result of this therapy. Two patients have failed locally, yielding an actuarial local control of 87% at a median followup of 2 years. These data would suggest that primary radiation that includes interstitial therapy as part of the plan, along with neck dissection in certain situations, is a worthwhile method management of base of tongue carcinoma.

Adult↗

The management of chyle fistula.

Over a recent 4-year period, 823 neck dissections that included the lower jugular lymph nodes were performed. Of the 823, 14 (1.9%) patients developed chyle fistulas. Two other patients developed fistulas, one after undergoing a gastric transposition, and the other after a scalene node biopsy. All 16 patients were initially managed conservatively with closed-wound drainage and low-fat nutritional support; this was successful in only 4 patients, 3 of whom had peak 24-hour chyle drainage of less than 600 cc. The remaining 10 patients required open-wound management, which included operative ligation in 4 instances. Continued conservative treatment with an open neck wound resulted in significant additional hospitalization. Our experience indicates that closed-wound management of a chyle fistula is likely to fail when peak 24-hour fistula output exceeds 600 cc. Considering the cost and morbidity of conservative treatment, early reoperation may be appropriate in those patients with high fistula output.

Chyle↗

The problem of neck relapse in early stage supraglottic larynx cancer.

We reviewed the records of 104 patients with Stage T1NO or Stage T2NO epidermoid carcinoma of the supraglottic larynx treated between 1965 and 1979. In 79 patients, surgery was the only type of initial treatment. These 79 patients are the subjects of this report. Forty-eight (61%) of these patients were treated by total laryngectomy, whereas 31 (39%) had a partial laryngectomy. An elective unilateral radical neck dissection was performed on 31 patients considered at high risk, but metastatic disease was found in the dissected side of the neck histologically in only 32% (ten of 31) of these patients. The minimum follow-up period was 5 years and the maximum was 20 years. Twenty-nine percent of the patients (23 of 79) experienced a neck relapse. The neck relapse rate was the same whether the patients did or did not have an elective radical neck dissection. Among the patients who experienced a neck relapse, 65% (15 of 32) have died of the cancer. Among those who did not experience a neck relapse, none (zero of 56) have died of the cancer (P less than 0.01). These results indicate that in surgically treated patients with early stage supraglottic larynx cancer, neck relapse was the major cause of failure associated with death from cancer. Strategies for decreasing the relapse rate are discussed.

Adult↗

Carcinoma of major salivary glands. Recent trends.

We have reviewed a 44-year experience with previously untreated carcinomas arising in major salivary glands to compare 319 patients treated before 1966 with 155 who received therapy between 1966 and 1982. Actuarial analysis indicates that five- and ten-year survival of our more recently treated patients was 80% and 65%, compared with 60% and 50% in patients treated before 1966. Explanation for this includes the higher proportion of patients with less aggressive histologic subtypes seen in recent years, as well as the fact that many of our patients treated before 1966 had surgical procedures considered inadequate by current standards. We also believe that adjunctive radiation oncology enhanced survival, but it could not be proved in this retrospective study. Multivariate analysis confirms that the clinical stage was the most important prognostic variable.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Brachytherapy as part of the definitive management of squamous cancer of the base of tongue.

Between 1981 and 1986, 17 patients were treated at the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with squamous cancer of the base of the tongue whose definitive treatment included brachytherapy. The patient sample consisted of 14 men and 3 women with age range of 35 to 71 years (median = 58). There were four patients with T1 lesions, six with T2, six with T3, and one with T4. In general, treatment consisted of 5000-5400 cGy with external beam radiation and 2000-3000 cGy boost to the base of tongue via an Ir-192 implant using afterloading catheters. Necks were managed with elective radiation alone in the N0 group (n = 5) or with radiation plus neck dissection in the N+ group (n = 12). Five patients who would have required laryngectomy had they undergone primary surgery received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by external beam and implant as part of a larynx preservation study that was being done at our institution (4-T3, 1-T2). The range of follow-up is 8 to 59 months, with median follow-up of 24 months. No patients have been lost to follow-up. Crude local control by T-Stage are as follows: T1-4/4, T2-5/6, T3-5/6, T4-1/1. Actuarial local control at 24 months is 87%. There have been no neck failures. There have been five patients who had soft tissue ulceration (STU) and one patient who had osteoradionecrosis (ORN). All soft tissue ulceration patients have been successfully managed conservatively. The patient with osteoradionecrosis is currently being managed. In 4 of these 6 cases, the implant was the initial therapeutic intervention and the entire tumor bed was implanted. On the other hand, when external beam was the initial treatment, the boost was administered to the smaller volume of residual disease. Overall, 4 of 7 patients who had implant first developed either soft tissue ulceration or osteoradionecrosis, as opposed to 2 of 10 patients who had implant after external beam and/or chemotherapy. The numbers are too small to be statistically significant, but our current policy is to perform brachytherapy after the external beam. In addition, all those with either soft tissue ulceration or osteoradionecrosis were implanted with a non-looping technique. Overall, 6 of 12 patients treated with a non-looping technique developed an injury, whereas none of the five treated with a looping technique has developed one.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adult↗

Complications after total thyroidectomy.

A retrospective review of 64 total thyroidectomies performed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center was conducted. Only one patient had permanent hypocalcemia (1.6%) requiring calcium supplementation. Eight patients had a total of 11 complications, for a complication rate of 12.5%. These results are in sharp contrast to those published in 1972 from this institution, in which the permanent hypocalcemia rate was 29%. The reasons for this difference are discussed.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Squamous carcinoma of the gums.

We reviewed a 20-year experience with squamous carcinoma of the gums in 347 patients who received definitive therapy. More than three-quarters of the lesions involved the lower gum and all but 37 patients were previously untreated. The proportion of patients with localized tumors (N0) remained the same (64 percent). Surgery continued to be the treatment of choice in 97 percent of patients, but proportionately more patients had a more conservative procedure which preserved lower jaw continuity. The 5-year determinate survival rate was little changed (54 percent). Advanced clinical stage (stages III and IV), prior dental extraction, bone invasion, and involvement of surgical margins were predictive of a lower survival rate on univariate analysis. Clinical stage was the only significant predictor of survival on multivariate analysis. The impact of adjunctive radiotherapy could not be assessed.

Adult↗

Critical assessment of supraomohyoid neck dissection.

During a recent 5-year period, 115 patients had 131 supraomohyoid neck dissections. Eighty-one percent of these procedures were performed for squamous carcinoma. Seventy-nine percent of the primary tumors were located in the oral cavity and 16 percent arose in the oropharynx. Almost 80 percent of the necks dissected for primary squamous carcinoma were clinically N0, and occult nodal disease was discovered in 31 percent of these neck specimens. When the supraomohyoid neck dissection specimen showed no involvement, the overall incidence of treatment failure in the neck at 2-year follow-up was 5 percent. Almost all patients with occult squamous carcinoma in the supraomohyoid neck dissection specimen received postoperative radiotherapy, and the failure rate in the neck was 15 percent. When neck nodes were both clinically and pathologically involved, neck recurrence developed in 29 percent of the patients despite the addition of adequate postoperative radiotherapy. Among those patients with nonsquamous primary tumors and a pathologically negative supraomohyoid neck dissection specimen, there was only one subsequent treatment failure in the neck. Supraomohyoid neck dissection appears to be a valid staging procedure for clinically N0 patients with primary squamous carcinomas located in the oral cavity or oropharynx, with an appropriate yield of occult nodal disease, and infrequent treatment failure in the dissected neck when the supraomohyoid neck dissection specimen is pathologically uninvolved. When nodal disease is clinically obvious, treatment failure is more frequent, even with the addition of postoperative radiotherapy. The role of supraomohyoid neck dissection in this setting deserves further study.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

Neuroendocrine differentiation in the glandular peripheral nerve sheath tumor. Pathologic distinction from the biphasic synovial sarcoma with glands.

We studied eight glandular peripheral nerve sheath tumors and seven biphasic synovial sarcomas with glands with the objectives of (a) characterizing the nerve sheath tumors, especially with respect to a possible neuroendocrine differentiation, and (b) identifying features that could be used to distinguish between the two lesions. In a mainly immunohistochemical study, neuroendocrine differentiation of glandular cells was observed in five of eight (62.5%) nerve sheath tumors. The neuroendocrine cell markers found included chromogranin (five of eight cases), serotonin (four of seven cases), pancreatic polypeptide (two of five cases), and gastrin (two of six cases). These findings--together with histological, histochemical, and ultrastructural observations made in this and in other studies--point to a foregut type of intestinal differentiation for the glands in a majority of glandular peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Specific histological and immunohistochemical differences between the nerve sheath tumors and the synovial sarcomas were identified. The main histological differences were a sharp distinction between the spindle and glandular cells of the former but not the latter lesion, and the presence of goblet-type cells only in the glandular peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Major immunohistochemical differences included neuroendocrine differentiation and reactivity for S-100 protein and CEA (seen only or mainly in the nerve sheath tumors), and the reactivity of spindle cells of only the biphasic synovial sarcomas for epithelial membrane antigen.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

Head and neck cancer 1987--a review.

Significant advances in head and neck oncology are reviewed in this article. Tumour biology and pathology are outlined in some detail. Multidisciplinary management is emphasised. Conservatism in surgical treatment and the roles of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other modalities are discussed. The alteration in the natural history of head and neck cancers with effective local and regional control is mentioned.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Analysis of prognostic variables and results after vertical partial laryngectomy.

A consecutive series of 197 patients who underwent conservation surgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the glottic larynx was analyzed. The majority of patients were male. One hundred forty-one had stage I disease, 44 had stage II, and 12 had stage III disease at the time of treatment. Partial laryngectomy was performed in 25 patients who had recurrent cancer after previous definitive radiotherapy and in 5 patients who had previously undergone cordectomy. There was no operative mortality and postoperative morbidity was low. Local recurrence developed in 32 patients (17 percent); cervical metastasis developed in 8 patients. The determinate survival rates at 3 and 5 years were 92 percent and 87 percent, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed soft-tissue margins and tumor differentiation as the two significant covariates in predicting survival. Positive surgical margins were also significant covariates affecting local recurrence. These data suggest that conservation surgery is an effective treatment for early vocal cord carcinoma. Adequate surgical margins are essential. Postoperative irradiation should be considered in patients with inadequate margins.

Adult↗

Analysis of prognostic variables and results after supraglottic partial laryngectomy.

A consecutive series of 78 patients who underwent conservation surgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the supraglottic larynx is analyzed. The majority of the patients were middle-aged men who had early-stage disease, with only 18 patients in stage III and 6 in stage IV. The epiglottis was the most frequent site, followed by the aryepiglottic fold and other sites in the supraglottic larynx. There was no operative mortality and the complication rate was low. Univariate analysis showed no influence of tumor stage, tumor differentiation, or involved surgical margins on survival. Determinate survival rates of 85 percent at 3 years and 72 percent at 5 years were observed. Local recurrences took place in 12 patients, 4 of whom were salvaged by total laryngectomy; neck failure occurred in 13 patients, 7 of whom were salvaged after further treatment; and 1 of the 2 patients with distant metastasis was salvaged after further treatment. We believe that every patient with a favorable lesion of the supraglottic larynx should be considered for conservation surgery, specifically, supraglottic partial laryngectomy, adhering to the criteria mentioned. Initial surgical treatment offers excellent local control and 5 year survival. Adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy may be considered in those patients with bulky primary tumors, positive surgical margins, and histologically confirmed cervical lymph node metastases.

Adolescent↗

New strategies for avoiding total laryngectomy in patients with head and neck cancer.

Cisplatin-based chemotherapy has yielded high response rates in patients with head and neck cancer but has failed to improve the survival rates in randomized studies. Thus, its place in the management of head and neck cancer remains unclear. We have been investigating whether the combination of chemotherapy and radical irradiation as an alternative to morbid surgery in selected patients might yield an improved quality of life without compromising survival. Between January 1983 and December 1985, we treated 32 patients with epidermoid carcinoma arising from the larynx, base of the tongue, or hypopharynx, using an interdisciplinary regimen, with the objective of avoiding total laryngectomy. All of these patients had large primary tumors that could not have been removed without total laryngectomy. Patients who could be treated by conservation laryngeal surgery were excluded, as were patients who presented with clearly unresectable disease. The regimen employed cisplatin-based chemotherapy together with brachytherapy and external radiation therapy, with highly individualized treatment planning. Seven patients had T2 lesions, 19 had T3, and 6 had T4. The follow-up periods ranged from 8 to 38 months (median, 18). The actuarial survival rate at 2 years is 85%, and the laryngectomy-free rate at 2 years is also 85%. None of the 11 patients with laryngeal cancer has relapsed, and none has required laryngectomy. None of the 12 patients with base of the tongue cancer treated by brachytherapy has relapsed above the clavicles and none has required laryngectomy, but 1 patient has died of complications of treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗