In Southeast Asia and Taiwan, betel quid chewing is prevalent. Patients with head and neck cancer who chewed betel quid habitually seem to experience more severe chemotherapy-induced mucositis in our clinical practice. To validate this issue, patients with untreated head and neck cancer who received cisplatin (cDDP) plus a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy were included in this analysis. Information on the consumption of betel quid, tobacco, and alcohol were recorded before chemotherapy. Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) was diagnosed clinically according to the fibrotic appearance of the mucosa and trismus. Mucositis was scored according to the World Health Organization criteria, and the mucositis score of the first course of chemotherapy was used for analysis. From December 1993 to April 1996, 120 patients were enrolled in this trial. Neither the betel quid chewing nor the cancer of the oral cavity was to be a significant factor for mucositis. However, clinically diagnosed OSF was found to display a significant correlation with more severe mucositis (p = 0.02). We concluded that in betel quid chewing-prevalent areas, OSF was a risk factor of more severe mucositis in head and neck cancer patients treated by CDDP and 5-FU-based regimens.

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Facial temperature distribution is affected by blood studies demonstrating this relation and showing that the flow rate in flow supply, which is compromised in carotid stenosis. blood vessels directly affects the temperature of the external wall of Therefore we conducted a study to compare the parameters of blood vessels [4]. Based on the above facts, we hypothesized that infrared thermograph of face and the result of simultaneous carotid angiography. Totally 26 consecutive patients underwent the stenosis of carotid arteries, which will compromise the heat carotid digital subtraction angiography and the patency of brought by blood flow to face, might affect the temperature of the common, external, and internal carotid was measured according face.to the principle of North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial . All the stenotic lesions detected were Therefore, we intended in this study to use a computerizedrecorded as ECAS for external carotid stenosis, CCAS for strategy to analyze the parameters of infrared thermograph and common carotid stenosis, and ICAS for internal carotid stenosis.On the other hand, infrared thermograph of bilateral facial compare them with the standard DSA findmigs. We hope to detect sides of the particiants was taken as well. Using a computerized any relationship of the infrared thermographic parameters and the programmatic strategy, the raw image data were processed to carotid stenosis, which are both directly related to carotid blood flow. calculate the mean temperature and the standard deviation of each side of the 26 patients. In 52 samples (both sides of 26 patients)of this study, there are 29 (55.8%) CCAS, 25 ( 48.1 %)ECAS, and 31 ( 59.6 %)ICAS. The mean temperature of II. METHODOLOGY AND METHODS all 52 samples is 32.72 +/-1.19 degree Celsius, and the average standard deviation of all the samples is 2.01 +/-1.10 degreeCelsius. The mean temperature of the ECAS group is EnrollmentofPatients and carotid angiography significantly lower than that of non-ECAS group (32.33+1-1.03 versus 33.08+/-1.24 'C, p=0.022), and the standard deviation of Wegenrolled26mconseutve ratients w ho underwent carotid the facial temperature distribution is also lower in the CCAS angiography and admitted to receive infrared thermograph patients (1.68+/-1.09 versus 2.31+/-1.04°C, p=0.037). In contrast, thereafter. To detect any extracranial carotid artery stenosis, the ICAS group has the higher mean facial temperature (33.06 an on-line software measurement (Siemens, Quancor, QCA +/-1.02 versus 32.22 +/-1.28, p=0.012) (Figure 9), and higher (CASS II, v4.0), or Philips manual analysis online) with was standard deviation of the facial temperature distribution (2.27+/-1.12 versus 1.62+/-0.97, p=0.036) than the non-ICAS conducted for every of them. For any stenosis disclosed over patients. The mean temperature and the standard deviation of external carotid artery (ECA) or internal carotid artery (ICA), facial infrared thermograph are significantly associated with the measurement method suggested by North A...