A 53-year-old man was admitted for tooth mobility. A mass was identified at the tooth base by CT. Histopathology of the excisional biopsy revealed a moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Many intact neutrophils were observed within the malignant cell cytoplasm. The patient underwent partial maxillectomy and bilateral neck dissection. Significant neutrophilic emperipolesis was detected in the resected material. Four tumor recurrences developed in the head and neck region during follow-up. Surgery and chemoradiotherapy was performed. The latest tumor recurrence occurred in the peripharyngeal and the posterior parotideal region. The patient was started on pembrolizumab therapy and nearly complete treatment response occurred. Pembrolizumab was discontinued due to the adrenal insufficiency and pulmonary tuberculosis that developed as a treatment side effect. Pembrolizumab was commenced again when tumor recurrence occurred. The patient is currently alive with ongoing pembrolizumab and antituberculous treatment. We present this case to remark the presence of a significant neutrophilic emperipolesis in the squamous cell carcinoma of the hard palate and maxilla which is rarely encountered. Emperipolesis may predict tumor behavior and the consequences of immune-modulating treatment response in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck in regard to the findings of our case.
Aim: This study aims to determine the age interval for which the flexible nasopharyngoscopy (FNP) and lateral nasopharyngeal X-ray radiography (LNX) used in the diagnosis of adenoid hypertrophy more effectively in a pediatric population.
Study Design: Prospective Cohort Study.
Materials and Methods: 281 pediatric patients (1 to 15 years old) who were admitted to our ENT outpatient clinic with the complaints of nasal obstruction, snoring, sleep apnea through April 2016 and February 2017 and who were examined with FNP with the pre-diagnosis of adenoid hypertrophy were included in our study. All FNP examinations were evaluated by a single physician. The degree of choanal obstruction was recorded as percentage (%) with the help of the adenoid tissue image. The patients were divided into four groups according to the quality of the endoscopic examination performed during FNP examination; optimal assessment (group-1), assisted optimal assessment (group-2), assisted suboptimal assessment (group-3), and inability to assess despite assistance (group-4). LNX was performed for the re-evaluation of adenoid tissue in the patients in Group-3 and 4. Statistical analysis was performed among the groups according to the ages of the patients.
Results: Optimal images were obtained with FNP in the patients aged between 1 and 2 years and 8-15 years and the expected images were obtained for choanal obstruction. However, no image could be obtained with FNP for assessment of choanal obstruction in more than 30% of patients between the ages of 3 and 8 years (31.2% and 33.3%, respectively), also in more than 50% of the patients who were 4,5,6 and 7 years old (60.6%, 56.7%, 55.8%, 66 , 6%, respectively). For this reason, their degrees of choanal obstruction were determined with LNX.
Conclusion: For the optimal assessment of adenoid hypertrophy, we suggest that using LNX for the pediatric patients who are 4, 5, 6 and 7 years old and using FNP for the other age groups are more appropriate methods respectively in order not to disturb the polyclinic process of physician and for patient compliance.
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