Journal Reviews
Using evidence and international consensus to guide treatment of thyroid nodules
The authors of this practical review paper highlight a growing issue within thyroid surgery, where high-quality ultrasound has increased the detection of subclinical nodules: what do we do with the patient presenting with an ‘incidental’ thyroid nodule? This has both...
Postoperative radiation in early stage oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OPSCC)
There is significant variation in treatment strategies for OPSCC between units. This is largely due to unanswered questions which continue to exist beyond the published literature. We know that human papilloma virus status has a significant influence on prognosis but...
Which da Vinci surgical system? Novel flexible, single-port versus current multiport, rigid-arm robotic surgical system
The da Vinci robotic surgical system has transformed how oropharyngeal head and neck surgery can be delivered. The existing da Vinci Si model has challenges: the dimensions of this are larger than would be ideal for head and neck surgery...
Systematic review comparing transoral laser surgery versus open partial laryngeal surgery for advanced laryngeal cancer
The aim of this Italian systematic review was to establish outcomes (local control and survival) of conservative laryngeal surgery for advanced T stage laryngeal cancers. Articles published from 1980 onwards, had at least 10 patients that underwent partial laryngeal surgery...
Risk factors for loco regional recurrence for oral SCC
Over 250,000 cases of oral squamous cell carcinomas are diagnosed annually worldwide with 128,000 registered deaths. The authors of this study are from a single institution in Germany and have conducted a retrospective audit of 517 patients with oral SCC...
Evidence for diagnostic role of narrow band imaging in the outpatient setting for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Narrow band imaging (NBI) uses light in the blue and green spectrum to differentiate areas of carcinoma from normal or inflammatory tissue. This tertiary referral head and neck unit in Spain used white light endoscopy as initial screening for all...
No increase in papillary thyroid cancer during pregnancy
This small study of 19 pregnant patients, who were diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer before or during the early stages of pregnancy (up to 20 weeks), assessed the changes of thyroid tumours during pregnancy. Conducted at a single centre over...
Neck dissection in adenoid cystic carcinoma is a risk worth taking?
This paper from Stanford University presents impressive figures to guide the debate on the extent of surgical management in adenoid cystic disease. Adenoid cystic carcinomas present a particular problem in that they can recur even after 20 years. They have...
Power tools dance off
The use of the harmonic scalpel is popular with some head and neck surgeons. This study looked at selective neck dissections for 40 patients with oral cavity carcinoma. They were randomised into harmonic scalpel (HS) use and monopolar electrocautery. The...
SCC of pinna – which histological features could predict prognosis?
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the pinna is reported to have a higher rate of metastasis than cutaneous SCC originating from elsewhere - up to 16% compared with less than 2% for the latter. The authors aimed to assess...
Sentinel nodes and UADT tumours
This is the review of a multicentre study to set practical guidelines for sentinel node techniques (SLN) in upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) squamous cell carcinomas including classical and extended indications. SLN biopsies are strictly indicated in patients with clinically and...
Trends in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer
The recent rise in HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is well described. There has been a significant shift from tobacco-driven to virus-driven cancers at this anatomical site. This retrospective study analysed US tumour registry data over a long period (1973–2009)...
