Additional research is needed for a more thorough understanding of the development of head and neck carcinomas and to shed light on new ways to improve therapeutic approaches and interventions.

age, gender, occupation, skin color, tobacco and alcohol consumption, primary site of the tumor, clinical staging, degree of histological differentiation and outcome. The data was analyzed by descriptive and exploratory statistics. Results: Prevalence was found among men (86%), white color (90%), smokers (83.37%), and alcoholics (65.80%); the average age was 61 years, 24.25% of men were farmers and 60% of women, housekeepers. Primary site of tumor was usually in the oral cavity (35.37%), with histological squamous cell. The incidence of deaths was 164. Conclusion: This study has provided the profile of the patients assisted in this hospital; moreover, it has contributed to outline further programs for preventing this disease.

The anti-inflammatory protein annexin A1 (ANXA1) has been associated with cancer progression and metastasis, suggesting its role in regulating tumor cell proliferation. We investigated the mechanism of ANXA1 interaction with formylated peptide receptor 2 (FPR2/ALX) in control, peritumoral and tumor larynx tissue samples from 20 patients, to quantitate the neutrophils and mast cells, and to evaluate the protein expression and co-localization of ANXA1/FPR2 in these inflammatory cells and laryngeal squamous cells by immunocytochemistry. In addition, we performed in vitro experiments to further investigate the functional role of ANXA1/FPR2 in the proliferation and metastasis of Hep-2 cells, a cell line from larynx epidermoid carcinoma, after treatment with ANXA12–26 (annexin A1 N-terminal-derived peptide), Boc2 (antagonist of FPR) and/or dexamethasone. Under these treatments, the level of Hep-2 cell proliferation, pro-inflammatory cytokines, ANXA1/FPR2 co-localization, and the prostaglandin signalling were analyzed using ELISA, immunocytochemistry and real-time PCR. An influx of neutrophils and degranulated mast cells was detected in tumor samples. In these inflammatory cells of peritumoral and tumor samples, ANXA1/FPR2 expression was markedly exacerbated, however, in laryngeal carcinoma cells, this expression was down-regulated. ANXA12–26 treatment reduced the proliferation of the Hep-2 cells, an effect that was blocked by Boc2, and up-regulated ANXA1/FPR2 expression. ANXA12–26 treatment also reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and affected the expression of metalloproteinases and EP receptors, which are involved in the prostaglandin signalling. Overall, this study identified potential roles for the molecular mechanism of the ANXA1/FPR2 interaction in laryngeal cancer, including its relationship with the prostaglandin pathway, providing promising starting points for future research. ANXA1 may contribute to the regulation of tumor growth and metastasis through paracrine mechanisms that are mediated by FPR2/ALX. These data may lead to new biological targets for therapeutic intervention in human laryngeal cancer.

Annexin 1 protein (ANXA1) expression was evaluated in tumor and mast cells in human larynx cancer and control epithelium. The effect of the exogenous ANXA1 (peptide Ac 2-26) was also examined during the cellular growth of the Hep-2 human larynx epidermoid carcinoma cell line. This peptide inhibited the proliferation of the Hep-2 cells within 144 hr. In surgical tissue specimens from 20 patients with larynx cancer, ultrastructural immunocytochemistry analysis showed in vivo down-regulation of ANXA1 expression in the tumor and increased in mast cells and Hep-2 cells treated with peptide Ac2-26. Combined in vivo and in vitro analysis demonstrated that ANXA1 plays a regulatory role in laryngeal cancer cell growth. We believe that a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of ANXA1 in tumor and mast cells may lead to future biological targets for the therapeutic intervention of human larynx cancer. ' 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Head and neck cancer remains a morbid and often fatal disease and at the present time few effective molecular markers have been identified. The purpose of the present work was to identify new molecular markers for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We applied methylation-sensitive arbitrarily primed PCR (MS/AP-PCR) to isolate sequences differentially methylated in HNSCC. The most frequently hypermethylated fragment we found maps close to a cytosine guanine dinucleotide (CpG) island on chromosome 9q33.2, and hypermethylation of this CpG island was associated with transcriptional silencing of an alternative transcript of the LHX6 gene. Using combined bisulfite restriction analysis (CO-BRA), hypermethylation of this fragment was detected in 13 of 14 (92.8%) HNSCC cell lines studied and 21 of 32 (65.6%) primary tumors, whereas little or no methylation was seen in 10 normal oral mucosa samples. We extended this investigation to other cancer cell lines and methylation was found in those derived from colon, breast, leukemia and lung, and methylation was also found in 12/14 primary colon tumors. These findings suggest that differentially methylated (DIME)-6 hypermethylation is a good cancer marker in HNSCC as well as in other kinds of neoplasias and confirm the importance of searching for markers of epigenetic dysregulation in cancer.

O estudo avaliou as estratégias de enfrentamento, rede e apoio social de pacientes com câncer de cabeça e pescoço atendidos em um hospital do interior paulista. Os 22 participantes responderam a um Questionário Sociodemográfico, Questionário de Hábitos de Vida, Ficha Clínica, Escala Modos de Enfrentamento de Problemas (EMEP) e Medidas de Rede e Apoio Social. Os resultados indicaram que as estratégias de enfrentamento menos utilizadas foram: focalização na emoção (M=2,08, DP=0,63) e busca por suporte social (M=2,62, DP=0,80), a rede social apresentou-se ampla, mas com grau de intimidade baixo, e a média geral do apoio social foi baixa (M=71, DP=10). As principais correlações encontradas foram: apoio emocional e de informação (r=0,785, p<0,01), estratégias focalização no problema e religiosidade (r=0,579, p<0,05). A análise fatorial identificou interação de determinadas estratégias com tipos específicos de apoio social. Discutem-se implicações para as práticas psicológicas visando facilitar a adaptação ao estressor-saúde e melhorar o suporte social dos pacientes.

Faci al traumas are frequent in emergencies, and they require the diagnosis of fractures and associated lesions. Aim:To analyze epidemiological data concerning facial trauma care. Materials and Methods:Three hundred and fifty-five charts from patients with facial trauma treated by the Service of Otorhinolaryngology, from January 2002 to December 2008, were revised. The following data was collected: age, gender, etiology, anatomical localization of the fracture, associated injuries, alcohol consumption, treatment, and hospitalization.Study Design: A retrospective historical longitudinal study. Results:Most of the patients are young adult men (p<0.05) with a male:female ratio of 4:1(p<0.05). Interpersonal violence is the most prevalent cause of facial trauma (27.9%), followed by motor vehicle accidents (16.6%) (p<0.05). The mandible is the most prevalent facial bone fractured (44.2%), followed by nasal fracture (18.9%) (p<0.05). 41.1% of the patients consumed alcohol with a male:female ratio of 11.2:1 (p<0.05). Seventy-seven percent of the patients required surgical intervention (p<0.05) and 84.5% were hospitalized (p<0.05). Conclusion:Young male adults are the most prevalent victims of facial trauma, and interpersonal violence is responsible for the majority of the facial injuries. Most of the cases of facial trauma are associated with the consumption of alcohol. Further studies will be necessary to provide a clear understanding of the trends in the etiology of facial trauma. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2010;76(5):565-74. ORIGINAL ARTICLE BJORL

Our graduated approach has shown excellent outcomes, a high rate of patient satisfaction, and a low rate of revision.