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Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of superselective cisplatin infusion with concomitant radiotherapy (RADPLAT) for previously untreated patients with the squamous cell carcinoma of maxillary sinus (SCC-MS). Methods: Between 1999 and 2010, 54 patients were given superselective intra-arterial infusions of cisplatin (100-120mgm(-2) per week) with simultaneous intra-venous infusions of thiosulfate to neutralise cisplatin toxicity and conventional radiotherapy (65-70 Gy). Results: One patient (1.9%) was diagnosed with T2, 14 (25.9%) with T3, 27 (50%) with T4a, and 12 (22.2%) with T4b disease. Lymph-node involvement was present in 12 patients (22.2%). During the median follow-up period of 6.4 years, the 5-year local progression-free and overall survival rates were 65.8 and 67.9% for all patients, respectively. No patient died as a result of treatment toxicity or experienced a cerebrovascular accident. Osteonecrosis (n-5), brain necrosis (n-1), and ocular/ visual problems (n = 14) were observed as late adverse reactions. Conclusion: We have shown excellent overall survival and local progression-free rate in SCC-MS patients treated by RADPLAT with acceptable rates of acute and late toxicity. A multi-institutional trial is needed to prove that this strategy is a feasible and effective approach for the treatment of SCC-MS.

Background The current study aimed to evaluate the significance of an immunohistochemical assessment of tumor suppressor p53 as a prognostic marker in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients treated with docetaxel and radiotherapy. Methods The expression of tumor suppressor p53 and its phosphorylated form at the Ser392 residue was retrospectively evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 51 Stage T1-3N0-2M0 (except T1N0 glottis) HNSCC patients who were treated with 10 mg/m 2 /week docetaxel four to six times and received concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Results Kaplan–Meier univariate analysis revealed that no difference in rates for overall and disease-free survival (DFS) between patients with p53-positive and -negative tumors ( p = 0.786 and p = 0.924, respectively). The prognostic significance of phosphorylated p53 at the Ser392 residue was neither observed. Conclusions An immunohistochemical assessment of the expression of p53 and its phosphorylated form might not be of clinical use in defining subgroups of patients with poor prognosis.

Objective To determine patient-perceived voice-related quality of life in patients treated with various methods based on the results of Voice-Related Quality of Life (VRQOL) and Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) questionnaires. Design The VRQOL and VHI-10 questionnaires. Setting University hospital. Patients One hundred thirty-seven patients who had received definitive treatment of laryngeal cancer were followed-up at Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan, and were alive with no evidence of malignancy at the time of the survey. Main Outcome Measure Patient-perceived voice-related quality of life based on the results of the VRQOL and VHI-10 questionnaires. Results The mean VRQOL scores for patients who had undergone radiotherapy (n = 63), chemoradiotherapy (n = 29), laser surgery (n = 14), or total laryngectomy (n = 27) as final treatment of laryngeal cancer were 92.6, 92.9, 85.5, and 68.4, respectively; the mean VHI-10 scores were 2.87, 2.34, 5.43, and 11.26, respectively. Conclusion The VRQOL and VHI-10 questionnaires are important in judging the overall effectiveness of treatment options for laryngeal cancer.