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Considering limited data exploring reimbursement trends at the subspecialty level within head and neck surgical oncology, we sought to characterize these trends for head and neck-specific codes from 2000 to 2020.Using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool, reimbursement data, adjusted to 2020 U.S. dollars, for 37 head and neck surgical oncologic procedure codes were collected from 2000 to 2020.From 2000 to 2020, despite gross reimbursement for all head and neck procedures increasing by 23.2%, when adjusted for inflation, physician reimbursement decreased by 19.4%. Only 4 of 37 examined codes increased in net reimbursement over the study period.Medicare reimbursement for the most common head and neck oncologic procedure codes decreased from 2000 to 2020. Further research is necessary to explore the implications of these trends on the delivery of patient care.

PDF file - 43K, HDIs do not induce endogenous ABCG2 expression in Flip-In-293 cells

PDF file - 52K, Ubiquitination state of ABCG2

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PDF file - 47K, Effect of inhibition of autophagy on ABCG2 expression

PDF file - 26K, Chaperone expression after HDI treatment

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PDF file - 29K, Impact of CHX and actinomycin D on HDI-induced ABCG2 surface overexpression

PDF file - 26K, CHX does not affect histone and �-tubulin acetylation induced by HDIs

Recent years have seen increase in individuals pursuing postgraduate fellowships in head and neck (HN) surgery. This has presented concerns about insufficient jobs where graduates can apply their scope of specialized training.Data was collected in two manners- a survey and a manual online search of American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) fellowship graduates. A 25-question survey was sent in 2021 to approximately 400 HN fellows who graduated between 2010 and 2020. The AHNS list of graduates from the same years were searched online to collect information including gender, graduation year, fellowship training, and current job practice.Of the 78 survey responses, 64.1 % were male and 34.6 % female. 96.2 % reported ablative, 84.6 % microvascular, and 82.1 % TORS training. Mean number of interviews was 4 with most interviewing during the 3rd quarter (January to March). Majority reported being in academic and university-based practices (79.6 %). Online search was done on 393 graduates. Since 2010 the number of graduates almost doubled. There was a statistically significant increase in females by year (p = 0.022). There was a significant decrease (p = 0.022) in graduates with additional fellowship training from that of their AHNS fellowship. There was also a statistically significant increase in graduates being in academic practices (p = 0.022).Despite growing numbers, there appears to be more graduates entering an academic practice, although the definition of an academic HN practice may be evolving. These results provide guidance on how to approach the job search in a select market.II.

To analyze the prognostic significance of microscopic vs macroscopic extranodal extension and to assess the impact of chemoradiation on overall survival among patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma and varying degrees of extranodal extension.Utilizing the National Cancer Database, we performed a retrospective cohort study of 7975 patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma and varying degrees of extranodal extension who underwent primary surgical intervention. Propensity-score matched models following Cox regression analyses allowed us to assess the impact of adjuvant radiation alone vs adjuvant chemoradiation on overall survival in patients with microscopic extranodal extension and macroscopic extranodal extension.7975 patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma were included in the final analysis. Within this cohort, 25.4% had microscopic extranodal extension and 5.2% had macroscopic extranodal extension. On univariate analysis, we found that microscopic and macroscopic extranodal extension were associated with decreased overall survival when compared to those with positive nodes without extranodal extension (HR = 1.67; 95% CI 1.56, 1.79 and HR = 1.88; 95% CI 1.66, 2.14, respectively). On multivariate analysis after propensity-score matching, we found no significant difference in overall survival in patients who received adjuvant radiation alone vs. adjuvant chemoradiation for both microscopic and macroscopic extranodal extension.Our data suggest that microscopic extranodal extension in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma is associated with worse overall survival than patients without extranodal extension following primary surgical intervention with neck dissection. The results of this study also suggest that the addition of chemotherapy to adjuvant radiation may not provide a significant survival benefit in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma with microscopic and macroscopic extranodal extension. Comprehensive assessment of the benefits of adjuvant chemoradiation in the setting of microscopic vs macroscopic extranodal extension would need to be studied in a randomized controlled trial.

Temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma (TBSCC) is rare and often confers a poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to synthesize survival and recurrence outcomes data reported in the literature for patients who underwent temporal bone resection (TBR) for curative management of TBSCC. We considered TBSCC listed as originating from multiple subsites, including the external ear, parotid, and external auditory canal (EAC), or nonspecifically from the temporal bone.PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and manual search of bibliographies.A systematic literature review conducted in December 2020 according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.Survival data were collected from 51 retrospective studies, resulting in a pooled cohort of 501 patients with TBSCC. Compared to patients undergoing lateral TBR (LTBR), patients undergoing subtotal (SBTR) or total (TTBR) TBR exhibited significantly higher rates of stage IV disease (Recurrent disease was associated with risk of death in patients undergoing TBR. Larger prospective multi-institutional studies are needed to ascertain prognostic factors for a wider array of postoperative outcomes, including histology-specific survival and recurrence outcomes.

Malignant salivary gland tumors are rare neoplasms that are vastly heterogenous in their histological patterns and clinical behaviors. As a consequence, studies have lacked the robust sample sizes needed to define treatment strategies. In this study, we used the National Cancer Database to identify the incidence of occult nodal metastasis and effect on overall survival for the most common malignant salivary gland subtypes. A retrospective review of patients in the National Cancer Database with primary site malignancies of major salivary glands between 2004 and 2016 was performed. Subjects included in the study underwent surgical treatment with and without adjuvant radiation and had complete information on TNM pathological stage.8,689 patients with primary malignant salivary gland cancer were analyzed. The sample was stratified by histologic subtype. Univariate analysis of lymph node metastasis of the whole cohort showed a higher risk of death (p 0.001), when compared to those without. Also when comparing occult vs evident metastasis, the risk of death was higher for the latter (p 0.001).Occult cervical lymph node metastasis ranged from 14.9% to 35.8% in malignant salivary gland cancers, depending on histological subtype. Occult nodal metastasis was a poor prognostic factor with significantly worse overall survival.

To evaluate the relationship between intraoperative ischemia time with acute microvascular free tissue transfer (MFTT) complications in head and neck reconstruction.A systematic review using PRISMA guidelines was performed. Inclusion encompassed all available studies published and indexed using PubMed, Medline, and Embase. Meta-analyses were performed using the Cochrane Review Manager tool. Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS), the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials, and the NIH Study Quality Assessment Tool for non-randomized prospective studies.A total of 430 citations were reviewed. 25 were included in our overall qualitative analysis, and 14 for meta-analysis. When comparing ischemia times for flaps with and without complications, no significant difference was observed (p = 0.98). Additionally, in a separate cohort, no significant effect was realized when correlating ischemia time to overall rates and total complications.Ischemia time was not significantly different between those with and without acute flap complications.

To investigate the incidence of synchronous malignancies identified during triple endoscopy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.A retrospective chart review of patients from a tertiary academic medical center was performed. Patients with a primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who underwent triple endoscopy were included. Operative, radiographic, and pathology reports were reviewed to evaluate for the presence of synchronous malignancies in the aerodigestive tract diagnosed through endoscopy. Demographics, relevant medical history, including tobacco and alcohol use, and tumor characteristics were recorded. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to assess for associations with synchronous malignancy on triple endoscopy.215 patients were reviewed, 164 of which had a biopsy-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and underwent triple endoscopy. Synchronous lesions were found in 8 patients (4.9%). Of the synchronous lesions, only two were identified on esophagoscopy and bronchoscopy; the remaining six were found on direct laryngoscopy. Clinical comorbidities including smoking and alcohol history, tumor p16 status, and tumor stage were not associated with presence of synchronous lesions. A positive synchronous lesion on positron emission tomography was significantly correlated with finding a synchronous lesion on triple endoscopy (p = 0.006).This study shows the incidence of synchronous lesions on triple endoscopy to be closer to 5%. While endoscopic examination can be useful in the anatomic characterization of head and neck malignancies, the low incidence of synchronous malignancies suggests that the need for triple endoscopy may be considered on a case-by-case basis.