ENT features
Harnessing head and neck cancer genomics for personalised medicine
Luc Morris updates us on the future of cancer diagnosis and treatment, which lies in “personalised oncology”, where specific molecular alterations of each tumour will be identified, and matched with actionable alterations in existing therapies, ushering in the era of...
The changing spectrum of cancer of the oropharynx: dilemmas and future directions
The association of HPV in oropharyngeal cancer has identified a ‘new disease’, with its unique biologic behaviour, and challenges for clinicians in selecting therapeutic combinations offering maximum efficacy and minimum morbidity or long-term sequela currently under study in clinical trials....
Robotic head and neck surgery: current state of the art and future innovations
Technology and innovation has provided modern head and neck surgeons with successive generations of robotic surgical systems, fibre-optic lasers, and novel tools which have ushered in a new era of minimally invasive surgery for tumours of the pharynx and larynx....
American Thyroid Association Thyroid Cancer Management Guidelines: utilising risk stratification to optimise patient care
The steep rise in thyroid surgery around the globe, has led to the development of risk stratification to define the indications for surgery and the extent of surgery as well as adjuvant therapies for papillary carcinoma, to avoid over treatment....
Head and neck cancer awareness
Head and neck cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, and awareness and screening campaigns have shown a decline in its incidence. Support for campaigns of awareness and education about these cancers is crucial from professional, societal and governmental...
Maxillofacial and neck surgery in Iraq and Afghanistan
Introduction Over the past 150 years, military personnel wounded in action had a survival rate of approximately 80% [1]. During the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, those servicemen wounded in action have a 90.4% survival rate [2]. During the...
Military otolaryngology and its impact on civilian trauma care
Over the centuries, military conflicts and wars have caused both death and injuries and led to improvements in the care of the combat wounded. Military otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons have been at the forefront of these developments and advances. War...
Temporal bone trauma
Introduction Temporal bone injuries represent one of the more complex management problems presenting to the otolaryngologist. This is largely due to difficulties in assessment and the frequent delays in referral, often as a result of other injuries demanding more immediate...
Imaging in hyperparathyroidism
Following their caudal migration at eight weeks of development, the parathyroid glands normally locate posterolaterally to the upper pole of the thyroid gland at the level of the cricoid cartilage (superior parathyroid glands arising from the fourth branchial pouch and...
Head and neck cancer and PET-CT
Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is an imaging technique in which abnormalities of tissue metabolism are precisely superimposed onto the anatomy. It relies on the premise that malignant cells are more metabolically active compared with non-malignant cells. On this basis,...
Nuclear heads – and necks
Imaging of the extra-cranial head and neck is challenging due to the anatomic complexity of the region. CT, MRI and ultrasonography (US) are amongst the most frequently utilised radiological modalities in head and neck imaging but do not always provide...
Imaging and management of head and neck vascular anomalies
Vascular anomalies are a diffuse spectrum of abnormalities which often involve the head, neck and oral cavity. They are frequently misnamed, often being generically labelled as haemangiomas. This lack of basic understanding can cause confusion leading to a cascade of...
