We aimed to characterize clinical and prognostical factors of primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in 85 young patients (≤39 years, median age: 37 years; between 2000–2018) in comparison with 140 institutional general HNSCC patients (median age: 61.5 years). The patient’s medical records were collected from the institutional database. The prevalence of smoking and alcohol consumption (65.8% and 48.1%) in the young group exceeded the regional population average but was below the institutional (86.4% and 55%) general HNSCC patient population. Primary tumor sites in the group of young patients were as follows: oral cavity (56.4%), oropharynx (17.6%), hypopharynx (11.7%), and larynx (14.1%). Cumulative five-year overall survival was 44.2% in the young group, but significantly better with early T (T1-2 vs. T3-4: 52.6% vs. 26.7%; p = 0.0058) and N0 status (N0 vs. N+: 65.2% vs. 32.3%; p = 0.0013). Young age, abstinence, earlier stage and laryngeal tumor site might predict a better prognosis. The age distribution and the high prevalence of traditional risk factors among the young patients as well as the predominance of oral cavity tumor localization suggest that the early onset of tumor development could be originated from the premature failure of the intrinsic protective mechanisms.

No abstract

Purpose To describe the results of treating tongue cancer patients with single postoperative interstitial, high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy (BT) after resection. Methods Between January 1998 and April 2019, 45 patients with squamous cell histology, stage T1–2N0–1M0 tongue tumours were treated by surgery followed by a single HDR BT in case of negative prognostic factors (close or positive surgical margin, lymphovascular and/or perineural invasion). The average dose was 29 Gy (range: 10–45 Gy) and rigid metal needles were used in 11 (24%) and flexible plastic catheters in 34 cases (76%). Survival parameters, toxicities and the prognostic factors influencing survival were analysed. Results During a mean follow-up of 103 months (range: 16–260 months) for surviving patients, the 10-year local and regional control (LC, RC), overall survival (OS), and disease-specific survival (DSS) probabilities were 85, 73, 34 and 63%, respectively. The incidence of local grade 1, 2 and 3 mucositis was 23, 73 and 4%, respectively. As a serious (grade 4), late side effect, soft tissue necrosis developed in 3 cases (7%). In a univariate analysis, there was a significant correlation between lymphovascular invasion and RC (p = 0.0118) as well as cervical recurrence and DSS (p < 0.0001). Conclusion Sole postoperative HDR brachytherapy can be an effective method in case of negative prognostic factors in the treatment of early, resectable tongue tumours. Comparing the results of patients treated with postoperative BT to those who were managed with surgery or BT alone known from the literature, a slightly more favourable LC can be achieved with the combination therapy, demonstrating the potential compensating effect of BT on adverse prognostic factors, while the developing severe, grade 4 toxicity rate remains low.

Background & objectives: In neuroborreliosis (NB) serology might objectively differentiate ongoing from past infection when the intrathecal space is involved. The hierarchy of the parallel serum-CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) methods is seldom discussed and remains elusive in daily practice. We compared the efficacy of certain methods and assessed the prevalence of anti-Borrelia antibodies in the local population. Methods: We summarized standard two-tier test results in all ELISA-reactive samples of patients with suspected NB (n=152) since 2017 and tested 122 unrelated sera for anti-Borrelia antibodies from central Hungary. Results: The most common central nervous system symptom was a cranial nerve palsy (27.6% of all subjects). CSF was available in 25 cases. A serum-CSF IgG-matched line immunoassay (LIA) detected intrathecal antibody production correctly in 6 of 8 samples when compared to the ELISA-based antibody-index (AI). Among the 122 random sera the prevalence of specific anti-Borrelia IgG antibodies (on LIA, not including anti-p41) were 6.8% above 30 and 10% above 60 years. Our results enable us to assume the predictive values of serological results according to the pretest probability of neuroborreliosis. Interpretation & conclusion: Our results suggest that recombinant antigen-based two-tier serology from solely the sera might have sufficient positive predictive value to verify NB in young individuals with characteristic anamnestic data in our region. When parallel serum-CSF testing is warranted, AI should have priority. IgG and albumin concentrations in both the serum and the CSF, the potential time of exposure and the nature and duration of symptoms form the bare minimal set of data for conclusive testing.

Összefoglaló. A retropharyngealis nyirokcsomóáttétek incidenciája a primer fej-nyaki daganat lokalizációjától függ. Leggyakrabban az előrehaladott vagy recidív nasopharynx-carcinomák esetén fordul elő, de III–IV. stádiumú oro- és hypopharynxtumorok esetén is megjelenhetnek. Non-nasopharyngealis primer tumoroknál a manifesztációjuk kedvezőtlen prognosztikai faktornak tekinthető, melynek hátterében a diagnosztikus nehézség miatti késői detektálás, a kifejezetten nehéz sebészi eltávolíthatóság, valamint az agresszív biológiai viselkedés állhat. Az esetismertetésünkben bemutatásra kerülő, 58 éves betegünknél bal oldali elülső szájfenéki primer tumort diagnosztizáltunk azonos oldali nyaki és retropharyngealis nyirokcsomó-metastasissal, mely a nemzetközi irodalom alapján extrém raritás, incidenciája kevesebb mint 1%. A retropharyngealis nyirokcsomók diagnosztikájában a lokalizáció miatt a képalkotóknak jut hangsúlyosabb szerep. Elhelyezkedésük nemcsak diagnosztikus, hanem sebésztechnikai kihívást is jelentenek az életfontosságú anatómiai képletek közelsége, illetve a szűk feltárási viszonyok miatt. Ilyenformán ezek a műtétek csak intenzív osztályos háttérrel és kellő jártassággal rendelkező centrumokban végezhetők. Az alapvetően rossz prognózist a korai diagnózis és a multimodális terápia kedvezően befolyásolja. Esetünkben a komplex kezeléssel (sebészi terápia és posztoperatív radiokemoterápia) sikerült lokoregionális tumormentességet elérni, és ezzel a teljes és a betegségmentes túlélési időt növelni. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(25): 997–1003. Summary. The incidence of retropharyngeal lymph node metastasis depends on the localization of the primary head and neck cancer. Involved nodes are seen most commonly in cases of advanced or recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma, however, they might occur with stage III–IV oro- and hypopharyngeal tumours. The involvement of retropharyngeal lymph nodes has been associated with poor outcome of non-nasopharyngeal primary tumours, which might be explained by the delayed diagnosis, the difficult surgical procedure in the retropharyngeal space, and the aggressive nature of the disease. Here we present the case of a 58-year-old patient with an anterior oral cavity tumour on the left side with ipsilateral cervical lymph node and retropharyngeal lymph node metastases, which has been noted an extreme rarity in the literature with less than 1% incidence. Due to the localization of the retropharyngeal lymph nodes, the detection is based on imaging modalities. It represents a challenge for diagnosis and surgical treatment due to the close proximity of vital anatomical structures. Accordingly, these operations should only be performed in specialist surgical centres with intensive care units. The early diagnosis and the multimodality treatment might have a positive effect on the poor prognosis. In our case, we managed to achieve locoregional disease-free status with the complex treatment (surgical therapy and postoperative radiochemotherapy) and increase the overall and the disease-free survival. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(25): 997–1003.