Diagnosis and Treatment of Head and Neck Sarcomas: Personal Experiences
Melissa Laus,
Domenico Crescenzi,
Antonio Moretti,
Adelchi Croce
Issue:
Volume 1, Issue 1, July 2013
Pages:
1-7
Received:
25 June 2013
Published:
20 July 2013
Abstract: Sarcomas are a rare group of tumors. They do not commonly manifest as malignancies in the head and neck region. The rare nature of these tumors has resulted in a limited number of publications. This is a descriptive study. We included patients with primary sarcomas of the head and neck, observed between 1991 and 2011 in the department of Otorhinolaryngology (University of Chieti, Italy). We studied the following variables: age, gender, race, origin, primary anatomical location of the neoplasm, pathology, diagnosis and type of cancer treatment employed. During the study period, we found 9 patients with head and neck sarcomas. Of this sample, 6 were males, and 3 were females. The man/woman ratio was 2:1. As far as age is concerned, the most affected age range was between 60 and 80 years. The mean age of the patients was 62. As far as pathology is concerned, we found 7 histopathological variations of sarcomas, and the most common type was the leiomyosarcoma. The most widely used treatment modality was surgical treatment. The data in this study show that head and neck sarcomas are rare tumors with high histological variability, which may involve different anatomical sites. Since these are rare and not well-known lesions, further epidemiological studies must be carried out, in order to give us more knowledge about the disease.
Abstract: Sarcomas are a rare group of tumors. They do not commonly manifest as malignancies in the head and neck region. The rare nature of these tumors has resulted in a limited number of publications. This is a descriptive study. We included patients with primary sarcomas of the head and neck, observed between 1991 and 2011 in the department of Otorhinola...
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Current Thinking on Malignant Salivary Gland Neoplasms
Rodrigo Arrangoiz,
Pavlos Papavasiliuo,
David Sarcu,
Thomas J. Galloway,
John A. Ridge,
Miriam Lango
Issue:
Volume 1, Issue 1, July 2013
Pages:
8-24
Received:
14 July 2013
Published:
10 August 2013
Abstract: Malignant salivary gland neoplasms are rare, representing approximately 3% to 7% of all head and neck cancers. Contrasting from the more common mucosal head and neck cancers, which, in general, are ascribed to excessive tobacco, alcohol use, and more recently to viral infection, specific carcinogenic factors for malignant salivary gland growths have not been as clearly identified. Histologically, they represent a heterogeneous group of tumors. Forty histologic types of epithelial tumors of the salivary glands have been reported; some are exceedingly rare and may be the topic of only a few case reports. Salivary tumors can arise in the major salivary glands or in one of the minor salivary glands (predominantly mucus secreting glands), which are distributed throughout the upper aerodigestive. Most patients who develop malignant salivary gland tumors are in the sixth or seventh decade of life. FNA should be considered as part of the diagnostic evaluation but due to its varying sensitivities and specificities imaging modalities such as ultrasound, CT scans, and MRI should also be used as diagnostic adjuncts. Surgery is the primary modality for management of these tumors, nontraditional surgical approaches and instrumentation, as well as facial nerve monitoring, can be selectively utilized to try and decrease the morbidity associated with these surgical procedures. Adjuvant treatment is primarily achieved with radiation therapy. Chemotherapy continues to have a palliative role in the management of salivary gland tumors; however, research in this field is trying to identify a therapeutic role for chemotherapy in order to improve overall survival.
Abstract: Malignant salivary gland neoplasms are rare, representing approximately 3% to 7% of all head and neck cancers. Contrasting from the more common mucosal head and neck cancers, which, in general, are ascribed to excessive tobacco, alcohol use, and more recently to viral infection, specific carcinogenic factors for malignant salivary gland growths hav...
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