Objectives/Hypothesis: To determine whether an aggressive approach using trimodality therapy would improve the outcome in head and neck cancer patients with advanced (N3) nodal disease. Study Design: In this retrospective, nonrandomized review, we analyzed a subset of patients who were treated in a targeted chemoradiation therapy protocol, consisting of 31 patients who received treatment between June 1993 and June 1997. Methods: Patients received selective intra-arterial infusions of cisplatin (150 mg/m 2 /wk for 4 weeks) and concomitant radiation therapy (2 Gy/fraction ؋ 35 daily fractions over a 7-wk period) to the primary and clinically positive nodal disease. The patients were re-evaluated 2 months later and underwent salvage neck dissections if there was any residual disease. Results: Classification of disease in the primary site was as follows: T1 in 2 patients, T2 in 6 patients, T3 in 14 patients, and T4 in 9 patients. Among the 31 patients who were assessed for response at the nodal site, 4 of 31 (13%) had a complete response, 21 of 31 (68%) had a partial response, and 1 of 31 (3%) had no response. Excluding the 5 patients who could not be evaluated, 4 of 26 patients (15%) had a complete response, 21 of 26 (81%) had a partial response, and 1 of 26 (4%) had no response. Nineteen patients subsequently underwent neck dissection, and five patients had histological evidence of residual disease. The remaining seven patients included four who had a complete response in their necks and three who died of intercurrent disease before re-staging. Among the 23 patients who were rendered disease free, there were no recurrences within the neck, whereas 1 patient had recurrence at the primary site and 11 patients had recurrence at distant sites. With a median follow-up of 15 months (range, 4 -41 mo), the 3-year overall survival and disease-specific survival were 41% and 43%, respectively. Conclusions: Targeted chemoradiation therapy followed by surgical salvage is a highly effective approach for regional control of patients with N3 nodal disease, whereas additional strategies are required to address the problem of distant metastases.

Although clinical judgment appears to be sufficient for deciding when G-tube placement is warranted in our population, the threshold for placing a tube should be lower in those patients who had a higher likelihood of requiring a G-tube during the course of treatment, including those with advanced disease of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and hypopharynx.

Granulocytic sarcoma of the nasal cavity is exceedingly rare. We describe the case of a 55-year-old man who presented with an intranasal mass that was later diagnosed as a granulocytic sarcoma. The mass was treated with rapid initiation of chemotherapy, which produced a substantial decrease in tumor bulk. Granulocytic sarcoma is often mistaken for lymphoma or other poorly differentiated malignancies, and the correct diagnosis requires a high index of clinical suspicion.

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Wedescrib e the ease of a 4-day -o/d girl who presentedwith an epig /ottie eyst that was later identified as a rudimentary p inna attaehed to the soft pa/ate.