Patients with oral cavity cancers often present late to seek medical care. Surgery is usually the preferred upfront treatment. However, surgical resection cannot be achieved in many cases with advanced disease without major impact on patient’s quality of life. On the other hand, radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) have not been employed routinely to replace surgery as curative treatment or to facilitate surgery as neoadjuvant therapy. The optimal care of these patients is challenging when surgical treatment is not feasible. In this review, we aimed to summarize the best available evidence-based treatment approaches for patients with locally advanced oral cavity cancer. Surgery followed by RT with or without CT is the standard of care for locally advanced oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. In the case of unresectable disease, induction CT prior to surgery or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) can be attempted with curative intent. For inoperable patients or when surgery is expected to result in poor functional outcome, patients may be candidates for possibly curative CRT or palliative RT with a focus on quality of life.
Numb chin syndrome, also known as mental nerve neuropathy, is a rare sensory neuropathy characterized by paresthesia and hypoesthesia in the area supplied by the mental nerve and its branches. This syndrome may be the first symptom of underlying malignancy or the first sign of recurrence and metastasis in patients with preexisting cancer. In this article, we present two cases with bilateral numb chin syndrome as the first manifestation of Burkitt's lymphoma/leukemia and review the relevant literature. Numb chin syndrome should be considered as a warning sign and raise the suspicion for an underlying malignancy. Bilateral involvement is especially hazardous and must not be underestimated. In fact, an astute neurologist and internist who realizes that chin numbness is a potentially significant symptom can then exclude serious underlying malignancies. Standard diagnostic protocol with different modalities of imaging based on the availability and experience of the radiology team should be mandatory. High index of suspicion should be practiced to avoid delay in diagnosis and progression of the underlying malignancy.
In patients with suspected brain death, dCTA reliably demonstrated the lack of cerebral blood flow, with extracranial circulation as an internal reference. Our initial results suggest that inversion of time of contrast appearance between internal carotid artery and external carotid artery branches at the skull base could predict a lack of distal intracranial flow.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that involves both the upper and lower motor neurons. Familial ALS, including superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) mutation, accounts for 5-10% of all cases of ALS. Typically, the symptoms of ALS are purely motor, though coexistent sensory symptoms have been reported in rare cases. In this report, we describe the case of a 47year-old man who presented with progressive bilateral lower limb weakness and numbness for the last four years. A nerve conduction study (NCS) showed evidence of coexistent axonal sensorimotor polyneuropathy in addition to the typical findings of ALS in needle electromyography. Genetic testing confirmed the diagnosis of familial ALS secondary to the SOD1 genetic mutation. This report highlights that the presence of sensory symptoms should not exclude the possibility of ALS in an appropriate clinical setting.
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