Tumor neck region

By using leukocytes from chemotherapy patients with squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck region, it was demonstrated that damage removal from DNA was related to cisplatin resistance [83], This type of study assumes the profile of adduct formation and repair to be the same in peripheral and tumor tissue. The hypothesis was supported by several early studies which employed either atomic absorption spectroscopy or immunochemical techniques to demonstrate a relationship between DNA adduct formation in blood cells and disease response [84-89]. Subsequent work revealed, however, that cisplatin-DNA adduct levels do not always correlate with survival [90] and can vary substantially between individuals [91]. 

Ekholm SE, Bjork-Eriksson T, Western A, NeUstrom H, Jonsson E, Johansson A, Lonn L, Mercke C, Tollesson PO. MRI staging using gadodiamide for soft-tissue tumors of the head and neck region. Results from a phase II trial and a 5-year clinical follow-up. Eur J Radiol 2001 39(3) 168-75. 

This case involved a female, aged 55. In February 1992, lymph-node metastases of a poorly differentiated matmnary carcinoma were detected in the left neck region. The CA15.3 value was 37.0, the CEA level was 13.5, and the TPS was 145 in March 1992. The primary tumor could not be localized. The patient denied chemo- and radiotherapy. She was given 5mg NADH every day. A year later, the previous palpable lymph-node metastases had disappeared. The tumor marker tests CA15.3, CEA, and TPS were 15.0, 8.0, and 95, respectively, in July 1994. Computer tomography and bone scan did not show any metastases (June 94). 

Head and neck tumors consist of primary tumors arising from various regional tissues including lymph nodes and metastatic lesions. Most of these lesions are highly vascularized due to both abundant vascularities of the head and neck region and their histological types. 

Pretherapeutic evaluation of the thyrolaryngeal tumors should include conventional radiograms, CT, ultrasound and radionuclide scanning. The highly vascularized tumors of this region are usually supplied by the superior and inferior thyroidal arteries and are the most likely involved in the endovascular treatment. These arteries are usually widely selected for endovascular embolization of other head and neck tumors due to the collateral supply to the floor of the mouth and the carotid region. 

It is important to state here that these compounds have not been found to increase communication between established tumor cells and normal cells [5] this would be consistent with their inability in the lOTl/2 system to inhibit expression of the transformed phenotype i.e. growth of tumor cells in a background of normal cells, and with the experimental animal data showing that these compounds are active in the post-initiation phase of carcinogenesis prior to the establishment of tumors. These observations would also be consistent with the lack of ability of retinoic acid to inhibit solid tumor growth in clinical trials in head and neck cancer [16]. Thus, in general, the actions of carotenoids and retinoids are considered to be preventive and not therapeutic. In a recent study of dysplastic regions of the oral cavity in patients with a prior history of oral carcinoma, we discovered that even in these pre-cancerous lesions major reductions in connexin 43 expression had occurred [17]. Studies are underway to determine if retinoids can counter this decrease. 

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