Background: Unintended weight loss and nutritional problems are often seen in patients with head and neck cancer, but changes in lipid metabolism are poorly studied. Aim/Objectives: The present study aimed to explore the longitudinal changes in circulating fatty acid (FA) composition in patients with head and neck cancer. Materials and methods: This study included 27 patients with head and neck cancer. Treatment consisted of single modality or combined modality treatments. The patients were assessed by repeated blood sampling and body weight assessments before treatment started and on three occasions after the start of treatment. FA profiling included gas chromatography analysis of unsaturated FAs and saturated FAs in serum.Results: The values of three fatty acids -FA 14:0, FA 18:3n3, and FA 20:3n6changed in a specific pattern over the course of the study and the change in FA 14:0 correlated with weight changes. Conclusions and significance: This study showed altered profiles of both saturated and unsaturated FAs. An improved understanding of the metabolic pathways in patients with head and neck cancer supports the development of better nutritional surveillance and nutritional treatments.
Studies on fatty acids (FAs) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) are limited. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal changes of circulating FAs in patients with HNC and to examine potential correlations of FA changes with treatment. The secondary aims were to investigate correlations of FAs with cytokines and patient-related factors, and if any FAs correlated with disease recurrence or death. A total of 174 patients with HNC were included before treatment and followed-up at three time points after the start of the treatment through blood sampling and body weight measurements. Serum FA profiling was assessed by gas chromatography. The total follow-up time was 3 years. The levels of almost all FAs changed from baseline to 7 weeks. The change in FA 14:0 was associated with treatment and the change in 18:3n-6 was associated with the patients’ pre-treatment BMI. FAs 14:0 and 18:0 were correlated with weight changes from baseline to 7 weeks. IL-6 was correlated with three FAs at 7 weeks and with two FAs at 1 year. Patients with higher levels 20:5n-3 at 3 months had a higher risk of all-cause death within 3 years (HR 2.75, 95% CI 1.22–6.21). Treatment, inflammation, and weight loss contributed in a complex manner to the altered FA profile in the studied cohort. The association between IL-6 and FAs in patients with HNC is in line with earlier studies and suggests the opportunity for regulating inflammation in HNC patients through modulation of FAs.
The anatomical position of the facial nerve is a critical factor in determining surgical candidacy in patients with congenital aural atresia (CAA). All patients with CAA must preoperatively be evaluated using a grading score based on information gained from a high resolution CT scan. In patients not suitable for surgical reconstruction, implantation of novel hearing implants is increasingly used for hearing rehabilitation. We, here, describe a bifurcation of the intratemporal part of the facial nerve in a 5-year old boy with CAA undergoing implantation with a bone conductive hearing device.
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