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Background: Patients with tongue cancer frequently show loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene. However, expression of VHL protein (pVHL) in tongue cancer has rarely been investigated and remains largely unknown. We performed immunohistochemical staining of pVHL in tongue tissues and dysplasia, and examined the association with LOH and its clinical significance.Methods: Immunohistochemical staining of pVHL in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of cancerous and other tissues from 19 tongue cancer patients showed positivity for LOH of VHL in four samples, negativity in four samples, and was non-informative in 11 samples. The staining pattern of pVHL was also compared with those of cytokeratin (CK) 13 and CK17.Results: In normal tongue tissues, pVHL staining was localized to the cytoplasm of cells in the basal layer and the area of the spinous layer adjacent to the basal layer of stratified squamous epithelium. Positive staining for pVHL was observed in the cytoplasm of cancer cells from all 19 tongue cancer patients. No differences as a result of the presence or absence of LOH were found. Notably, cytoplasm of poorly differentiated invasive cancer cells was less intensely stained than that of well and moderately differentiated invasive cancer cells. pVHL staining was also evident in epithelial dysplasia lesions with pVHL-positive cells expanding from the basal layer to the middle of the spinous layer. However, no CK13 staining was noted in regions of the epithelium, which were positive for pVHL. In contrast, regions with positive staining for CK17 closely coincided with those positive for pVHL.Conclusions: Positive staining for pVHL was observed in cancerous areas but not in normal tissues. pVHL expression was also detected in lesions of epithelial dysplasia. These findings suggest that pVHL may be a useful marker for proliferative lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusions: The feelings of dizziness and unsteadiness of the patients with fibromyalgia supposed specifically amplified by the hypersensitivity mechanism of CSS (central sensitivity syndrome) of them. The severity of subjective pain and physical distress according to the questionnaires were not correlated with the objective body sway on the stabilometer. Objectives: Fibromyalgia manifests primarily as chronic pain of the entire body, but is also often associated with a variety of physical symptoms including dizziness and unsteadiness. This study assessed whether objective measures of body sway and unsteadiness of them are associated with their subjective dizziness findings. Method: Subjects were 24 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia, but one patient who had the past history of sudden deafness was excluded. The 23 patients were assessed by a stabilometer as the objective measures of body sway, and JFIQ (Japanese version of the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire), DHI (dizziness handicap inventory) and ABC (activities-specific balance confidence) as the subjective questionnaires. Results: The significant correlations were shown between the scores of JFIQ and DHI, JFIQ and ABC, and DHI and ABC. Then, the body sway index of stabilometer environmental area was significantly correlated with DHI score. However, the stabilometer index was not correlated neither with JFIQ or ABC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: Superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy, which enables local control and laryngeal preservation, is a safe and useful therapy for preservation of nutrition, speech, and swallowing functions. Objective: To improve the laryngeal preservation rate in patients with hypopharyngeal piriform sinus squamous cell carcinoma by superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy. Methods: Fifty-seven patients received anterograde intra-arterial administration of docetaxel and cisplatin, and two courses of intravenous continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil as a neoadjuvant chemotherapy over 120 h starting on day 2. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy was administered from the third course to control the primary cancer. Remaining neck lymph node metastases were treated in principle by neck dissection. Results: The 5- and 10-year survival rates were 68.5% and 58.9%, respectively. The 5-year rates by the T classification were 96.0% (10-year rate, 88.6%) in T3, 48.1% in T4a, and 16.7% in T4b. The 5- and 10-year laryngeal preservation rates were 65.2% and 62.4%, respectively. The 5-year rates by the T classification were 92.4% (10-year rate, 87.6%) in T3, 36.2% in T4a, and 16.7% in T4b. No irreversible side effects, complications, or sequelae were reported. Superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy showed superior laryngeal preservation as well as high survival rates, particularly in T3, and was considered a useful therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: Superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy, which can provide local control and laryngeal preservation, is safe and useful for preserving pharyngeal and laryngeal functions. Objective: To evaluate superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy in terms of the contribution to survival and laryngeal preservation in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anterior oropharyngeal wall. Methods: A total of 51 patients with SCC of the anterior oropharyngeal wall received intra-arterial administration of docetaxel at 60 mg/m2 and cisplatin at 60 mg/m2 anterogradely, followed by intravenous continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil at 750 mg/m2/day over 120 h starting on day 2. Neck lymph node metastases were treated by neck dissection. Results: The 5- and 10-year survival rates of the 51 patients were 72.8% and 66.4%, respectively. The 5-year survival rates of patients with T2, T3, T4a, and T4b cancer were 100%, 88.7%, 41.9%, and 33.3%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year laryngeal preservation rates of the 51 patients were 63.4% and 30.0%, respectively. The 5-year laryngeal preservation rates of patients with T2, T3, T4a, and T4b cancer were 100%, 75.2%, 23.6%, and 33.3%, respectively. No irreversible side effects, complications, or sequelae were reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: Patients who received concurrent chemoradiation therapy or radiation therapy alone were followed over a long term. The complete response (CR), 10-year survival, and 10-year larynx preservation rates were 87.5%, 95.3%, and 75.1%, respectively. Statistically, concurrent chemoradiation therapy contributes to laryngeal preservation but not to the survival rate. Objective: To determine the additive and synergistic effects of anticancer chemotherapy combined with chemoradiation therapy for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the glottic larynx. Methods: Eighty-nine patients with untreated T2N0M0 SCC of the glottic larynx were included. Thirty-two patients received treatment cycles consisting of intravenous cisplatin (CDDP) on day 1 (80 mg/m2) and intravenous 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) over 120 h on days 2-6 (600 mg/m2/day) every 4 weeks. Radiotherapy was delivered by a 4 MV linac X-ray machine at a dose of 66 Gy. Fifty-seven patients received radiotherapy alone. Results: After chemoradiation therapy, the overall response, CR, 10-year survival, and 10-year larynx preservation rates were 100%, 87.5%, 95.3%, and 75.1%, respectively. Side effects included leukopenia, neutropenia, mucositis, and dermatitis. Seven patients (21.9%) required salvage surgery. Pathological findings confirmed that the treatment regimen caused marked cancer tissue degeneration. Histologic examination of surgical specimens suggested that the safety margin for partial laryngectomy was 4 mm from the gross tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: Concurrent chemoradiation therapy with docetaxel (DOC) at a dose of 10 mg/m2 twice a week contributed to laryngeal preservation. Objective: To determine laryngeal preservation following concurrent chemoradiation therapy with DOC. Methods: A total of 141 patients with untreated T2N0M0 squamous cell carcinoma of the glottic larynx were included in the study. The treatments were either radiation therapy alone or DOC intravenously administered at a dose of 10 mg/m2 once or twice a week during radiotherapy with 4 MV linac X-ray (total of 66 Gy for 33 days). Results: The response and CR rates were 100% and 90.5% in the once-weekly combination group, and 100% and 97.6% in the twice-weekly combination group, respectively. The 5-year survival rates were 76.8% in the once-weekly combination group and 96.8% in the twice-weekly combination group. The 5-year laryngeal preservation rates were 83.8% in the once-weekly combination group and 97.6% in the twice-weekly combination group. The most common side effects were mucositis, dermatitis, and alopecia. The patients who received DOC twice a week showed more severe cancer tissue degeneration, and pathological examination of serial sections indicated that the safety margin for partial laryngectomy was considered to be 3 mm from the gross tumor with good glottal closure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]