Older age at testing was associated with poorer recognition of words in difficult sentences, suggesting that cognitive aging may negatively impact CI outcomes. Further studies are needed to examine how a long duration of auditory deprivation affects CI outcomes.

Carcinoma of the head and neck represents 3.5% of all cancers, and the vast majority of these tumors are squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). With a stable overall survival rate of 50% among all stages, there is continued interested in developing measures for early detection and disease aggressiveness. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been identified as a potential marker for early metastatic disease, response to treatment, and surveillance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. In this article, techniques of CTC detection, applications of CTC technology, and outcomes of HNSCC patients will be discussed.

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of surgical intervention on detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN.) Methods We utilized a negative depletion technique to identify cytokeratin (CK)-positive CTCs. The numbers of CTCs immediately before and after surgical resection were compared. Results Seventy-six blood samples from 38 patients with SCCHN were examined. Seventy-nine percent of the patients had CTCs detected before and after surgery. A total of 7.89% had no CTCs before surgery, yet had CTCs identified after surgery. Overall, 60.5% of patients had an increased number of CTCs/mL after surgery with a mean increase of 6.63-fold. A statistically significant increase in CTCs was seen after surgery (p = .02). Conclusion The timing of sample collection in patients with SCCHN who have surgical intervention can potentially impact the number of CTCs identified.

Objective Ménière's disease affects the vestibular and audiologic systems; however, little is known about the relationship between audiometric and caloric function with increasing duration of disease. We employed a novel methodology to understand the longitudinal correlation between audiometric and caloric function in Ménière's patients. Study Design Case series with chart review. Setting Neuro-otologic tertiary care practice. Subjects and Methods Charts of 19 patients with unilateral Ménière's disease, as classified by the 1995 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Foundation criteria, were examined. We included patients with ≥2 videonystagmograms and audiograms. We excluded those with bilateral Ménière's, prior audiovestibular destruction, or symptoms suggesting concomitant vestibular pathology. Spearman's rank correlation of audiometric status (pure tone average [PTA], low PTA, and word recognition score [WRS]) and vestibular function (bithermal calorics) was performed. The study was Institutional Review Board approved (protocol 2015H0266). Results A total of 112 audiograms and 42 videonystagmographies were performed. There was a decline in affected ear hearing PTA and WRS with duration of disease ( r = 0.602, P < .001, and r = -0.573, P < .001, respectively). Similarly, there was a decline in vestibular function with increasing duration of disease ( r = 0.709, P < .001). There were moderate correlations between vestibular weakness and PTA, low PTA, and WRS ( r = 0.464, P = .002; r = 0.498, P = .001; and r = -0.518, P = .001, respectively). Conclusions There is a correlation between decline in objective hearing and horizontal semicircular canal function with time. As expected, this correlation is not 1:1, indicating differential involvement of both systems. Understanding this relationship may assist in counseling patients with regard to prognosis, natural history, and therapeutic interventions.

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