MR imaging is more sensitive than CT in detecting neoplastic invasion of cartilage, but the inability to differentiate between nonneoplastic inflammatory changes and tumor with MR imaging leads to overestimation of neoplastic invasion.

Fine-needle aspiration cytology is a valuable adjunct to preoperative assessment of parotid masses. Preoperative recognition of malignant tumors may help prepare both the surgeon and patient for an appropriate surgical procedure.

The objective of this review study was to encompass the relevant literature and current best practice options for this challenging, sometimes incurable problem. The source of the data was Ovid MEDLINE from 1946 to 2014. Review methods consisted of articles with clinical correlates. The most important cause of recurrence is enucleation with rupture and incomplete tumor excision at operation. Incomplete pseudocapsule, extracapsular extension, pseudopods of pleomorphic adenoma tissue, and satellite pleomorphic beyond the pseudocapsule are also likely linked to recurrent pleomorphic adenoma. Most recurrent pleomorphic adenoma are multinodular. Magnetic resonance imaging is the imaging study of choice for recurrent pleomorphic adenoma. Nerve integrity monitoring may reduce morbidity for recurrent pleomorphic adenoma. Treatment of recurrent pleomorphic adenoma must be individualized. Total parotidectomy, given the multicentricity of recurrent pleomorphic adenoma, is appropriate in many patients, but may be inadequate to control recurrent pleomorphic. There is accumulating evidence from retrospective series that postoperative radiation therapy results in significantly better local control.

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BACKGROUND The low incidence and histologic heterogeneity of primary parotid carcinomas makes it difficult to evaluate the value of preoperative fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and intraoperative frozen section (FS) analysis. In the current study, the authors reviewed a single institution's experience regarding the preoperative and intraoperative diagnostic value of FNAC and FS in primary salivary gland carcinomas. METHODS Between January 1990 and December 2002, 108 primary parotid carcinomas were resected at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Berne, Inselspital (Berne, Switzerland). Included in the study were a total of 101 carcinomas with preoperative FNAC results in 88 tumors and/or intraoperative FS results in 45 tumors. In a retrospective study, the results of FNAC and FS were analyzed and compared with the corresponding histopathologic diagnoses. RESULTS The cytologic findings were true‐positive for malignancy in 63 tumors (72%), false‐negative in 22 tumors (25%), and nondiagnostic in 3 tumors (3%). The tumor grading was correct in 29 of 63 tumors (46%), and the exact tumor typing was correct in 27 of 63 (43%) true‐positive tumors. The FS findings were true‐positive for malignancy in 43 of 45 tumors (96%), the tumor grading was correct in 35 of 45 tumors (78%), and the tumor typing was correct in 32 of 45 tumors (71%). Overall, at the time of surgery, of the 101 parotid carcinomas, the tumor was known to be malignant in 83 tumors (82%), and the correct grade and the exact tumor type were known in 55 tumors (54%) and 48 tumors (48%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS FNAC recognized malignancy in 72% of tumors, but it could not be relied upon to provide an accurate tumor grading or typing. Therefore, FNAC alone is not prone to determine the surgical management of primary parotid carcinomas. The current analysis showed the statistically significant superiority of FS compared with FNAC regarding the diagnosis of malignancy, tumor grading, and tumor typing in primary parotid carcinomas. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.

Special thanks to Linda van der Velden for her help and expertise in preparing the histologic slices, and to Prof. P. Vock and Dr. C. Stoupis for reviewing the computed tomography and magnetic resonance images. BACKGROUND. An accurate pretherapeutic staging of laryngeal carcinoma is required for most treatment planning as well as for evaluation and comparison of the results of different treatment modalities. Neoplastic invasion of the laryngeal cartilage may have important therapeutic implications. To our knowledge, no data are available comparing the impact of endoscopic examination, computed tomog-raphy (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging on pretherapeutic staging accuracy. The purpose of our study was to determine which imaging should be used as an adjunct to other clinical examinations in the pretherapeutic staging of laryngeal carcinoma. METHODS. In this study, 40 consecutive patients with neoplasms of the larynx, who were treated surgically, were included in a prospective pretherapeutic staging protocol that included indirect laryngoscopy, direct microlaryngoscopy, contrast-enhanced CT, and gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-enhanced MR imaging at 1.5 Tesla. The surgical specimens were cut in whole-organ slices parallel to the plane of the axial CT and MR images. The histologic findings were compared with the clinical findings including the CT and MR images. The impact of each diagnostic method on pretherapeutic staging was analyzed. RESULTS. Clinicallendoscopic evaluation failed to correctly stage 17 tumors due to invasion of the paraglottic space (1 tumor), preepiglottic space (2 tumors), and extrala-ryngeal soft tissues (14 tumors), resulting in a pretherapeutic staging accuracy of 57.5%. Neoplastic invasion of cartilage was present in 28 patients and absent in 12 patients. Although MR imaging was more sensitive in detecting neoplastic invasion of cartilage than CT (94% vs. 67%; P = 0.001), MR imaging was less specific than CT (74% vs. 87%; P = 0.007). There was no difference between the overall accuracy of CT and MR imaging in detecting neoplastic invasion of cartilage (80% vs. 82%). The accuracy of combined clinicallendoscopic examination and CT staging was 80% and the accuracy of combined clinicallendoscopic examination and MR imaging staging was 87.5%; the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS. Clinical/endoscopic examination alone failed to identify tumor invasion of the laryngeal cartilages and of the extralaryngeal soft tissues, resulting in a low staging accuracy (57.5%). Many pT4 (according to the International Union against Cancer TNM Staging System) tumors were clinically unrecognized. The combination of clinical/endoscopic evaluation and an additional radiologic examination , either CT or MR imaging, resulted in significantly improved staging accuracy (80% vs. 87.5%). MR imaging is significantly more sensitive but less specific than CT in detecting neoplastic cartilage invasion. Therefore, MR imaging tends to overestimate neoplastic cartilage invasion an...

The proposed MR imaging criteria enable improved differentiation of neoplastic cartilage invasion from peritumoral inflammation.

Introduction: Aggressive variants of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) have been described with increasing frequency. These variants include diffuse sclerosing variant, tall cell variant, columnar cell variant, solid variant, and hobnail variant. Methods: We have performed a review of the more aggressive variants of PTC with respect to main characteristics, histological and molecular features, and the consequences that the knowledge of these variants should have in the treatment of the patients. Results: At the present time, we do not know the prognostic value of these aggressive PTC variants. The extent of the surgical treatment and adjuvant therapy necessary should be decided on the basis of the extent of the tumor This article was written by members and invitees of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group (https:// www.IHNSG.com).