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Management of SCC of the oropharynx is in a period of transition because of evolving changes in our understanding of the oncogenic process; evolving diagnostic techniques; and evolving combinations of therapies, both surgical and nonsurgical. For the time being, we propose using local subsite and disease stage to guide therapeutic decision-making.

We retrospectively reviewed 35 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma that had originated in the minor salivary glands of the pa ranasal sinuses or nasa l cavity. All patients had been seen at two tertiary-care referra l centers in western New York Stat e between 1960 and 2000. Twenty patients had been treated with surgery and adju vant radiotherapy, 10 patients with surg ery alone, three with radiotherapy alon e, and two with concu rrent radiotherapy and chemot herapy. During the study, 22 patients developed recurrent disease-I I locally; three distantly; seven locally and distantly; and one locally, regionally, and distantly. At the conclusion ofthe study, 14 patients were ali ve and disease-free, and eight were alive with disease; 10 patients had died with disease, and three had died of other causes with no evidence of disease. Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the paranasal sinuses or nasal cavity is an aggressive neopla sm that results in a high incidence of both local recurrence and distant metastasis, regardless oftreatment modality. Most cases are ultimately f atal, although long disease-f ree intervals have been observed. A combination of surgery and radiotherapy offers these patients the best chancefor disease control.

Objective To determine the response of dysplasia, carcinoma in situ (CIS), and T1 carcinoma of the oral cavity and larynx to photodynamic therapy with porfimer sodium. Design Prospective trial. Setting A National Cancer Institute–designated cancer institute. Patients Patients with primary or recurrent moderate to severe oral or laryngeal dysplasia, CIS, or T1N0 carcinoma. Intervention Porfimer sodium, 2 mg/kg of body weight, was injected intravenously 48 hours before treatment. Light at 630 nm for photosensitizer activation was delivered from an argon laser or diode laser using lens or cylindrical diffuser fibers. The light dose was 50 J/cm2 for dysplasia and CIS and 75 J/cm2 for carcinoma. Main Outcome Measures Response was evaluated at 1 week and at 1 month and then at 3-month intervals thereafter. Response options were complete (CR), partial (PR), and no (NR) response. Posttreatment biopsies were performed in all patients with persistent and recurrent visible lesions. Results Thirty patients were enrolled, and 26 were evaluable. Mean follow-up was 15 months (range, 7–52 months). Twenty-four patients had a CR, 1 had a PR, and 1 had NR. Three patients with oral dysplasia with an initial CR experienced recurrence in the treatment field. All the patients with NR, a PR, or recurrence after an initial CR underwent salvage treatment. Temporary morbidities included edema, pain, hoarseness, and skin phototoxicity. Conclusion Photodynamic therapy with porfimer sodium is an effective treatment alternative, with no permanent sequelae, for oral and laryngeal dysplasia and early carcinoma.

BackgroundOlfactory Neuroblastoma is a rare malignant tumor of the olfactory tract. Reports in the literature comparing treatment modalities for this tumor are limited.MethodsThe SEER database (1973-2006) was queried by diagnosis code to identify patients with Olfactory Neuroblastoma. Kaplan-Meier was used to estimate survival distributions based on treatment modality. Differences in survival distributions were determined by the log-rank test. A Cox multiple regression analysis was then performed using treatment, race, SEER historic stage, sex, age at diagnosis, year at diagnosis and SEER geographic registry.ResultsA total of 511 Olfactory Neuroblastoma cases were reported. Five year overall survival, stratified by treatment modality was: 73% for surgery with radiotherapy, 68% for surgery only, 35% for radiotherapy only, and 26% for neither surgery nor radiotherapy. There was a significant difference in overall survival between the four treatment groups (p < 0.01). At ten years, overall survival stratified by treatment modality and stage, there was no significant improvement in survival with the addition of radiation to surgery.ConclusionsBest survival results were obtained for surgery with radiotherapy.