Approaches to Improve the Prognosis of Head-and-Neck Cancer

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Survivorship and Quality of Life".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 9370

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
Interests: cancer cachexia; sarcopenia; nutrition; frailty

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
Interests: cancer cachexia; sarcopenia; nutrition; frailty

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Head and neck cancer is considered a cancer with a very poor prognosis due to the anatomical characteristics of the head and neck region. Depending on the surgical site and its extent, head and neck cancer is prone to cause functional disabilities such as eating and swallowing disorders. As a result, the risk of developing nutritional disorders, frailty, and sarcopenia increases, ultimately leading to a poor prognosis. Recently, the number of elderly cancer patients aged 65 years or older has been growing every year. Although the number of survivors is increasing due to technological advances in surgical procedures and chemoradiotherapy, it is clear that serious sequelae and functional impairment cause a significant decline in patient QOL. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to properly evaluate patients’ conditions and make appropriate treatment choices at each stage of head and neck cancer treatment.

In this Special Issue, we would like to invite submissions on new findings regarding efforts to improve prognosis, especially in head and neck cancer. This Special Issue will provide a basis for new approaches that will lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of head and neck cancer and may lead to better treatment choices for patients and improve outcomes.

Dr. Hajime Suzuki
Prof. Dr. Norifumi Nakamura
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • sarcopenia
  • head and neck cancer
  • oral cancer
  • postoperative complications
  • survival rate
  • prognosis

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1614 KiB  
Article
Preoperative CT-Based Skeletal Muscle Mass Depletion and Outcomes after Total Laryngectomy
by Victoria Salati, Katerina Mandralis, Fabio Becce, Joachim Koerfer, Karma Lambercy, Christian Simon and François Gorostidi
Cancers 2023, 15(14), 3538; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15143538 - 8 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1286
Abstract
Purpose: To assess the role of preoperative CT-based skeletal muscle mass depletion on postoperative clinical outcomes and survival in patients who underwent total laryngectomy for cancer. Methods: Patients operated on between January 2011 and March 2020 were retrospectively included. Skeletal muscle area and [...] Read more.
Purpose: To assess the role of preoperative CT-based skeletal muscle mass depletion on postoperative clinical outcomes and survival in patients who underwent total laryngectomy for cancer. Methods: Patients operated on between January 2011 and March 2020 were retrospectively included. Skeletal muscle area and intra- and inter-muscular fat accumulation were measured at the third lumbar vertebral level on preoperative CT scans. Skeletal muscle mass depletion was defined based on pre-established cut-off values. Their association with postoperative morbidity, length of stay (LOS), costs, and survival was assessed. Results: A total of 84 patients were included, of which 37 (44%) had preoperative skeletal muscle mass depletion. The rate of postoperative fistula (23% vs. 35%, p = 0.348), cutaneous cervical dehiscence (17% vs. 11%, p = 0.629), superficial incisional surgical site infections (SSI) (12% vs. 10%, p = 1.000), and unplanned reoperation (38% vs. 37%, p = 1.000) were comparable between the two patient groups. No difference in median LOS was observed (41 vs. 33 days, p = 0.295), nor in treatment costs (119,976 vs. 109,402 CHF, p = 0.585). The median overall survival was comparable between the two groups (3.43 vs. 4.95 years, p = 0.09). Conclusions: Skeletal muscle mass depletion alone had no significant impact on postoperative clinical outcomes or survival. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Approaches to Improve the Prognosis of Head-and-Neck Cancer)
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35 pages, 11802 KiB  
Article
Treatment-Interval Changes in Serum Levels of Albumin and Histidine Correlated with Treatment Interruption in Patients with Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Completing Chemoradiotherapy under Recommended Calorie and Protein Provision
by Chao-Hung Wang, Hang Huong Ling, Min-Hui Liu, Yi-Ping Pan, Pei-Hung Chang, Yu-Ching Lin, Wen-Chi Chou, Chia-Lin Peng and Kun-Yun Yeh
Cancers 2022, 14(13), 3112; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14133112 - 24 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2366
Abstract
We investigated risk factors for treatment interruption (TI) in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (LAHNSCC) following concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), under the provision of recommended calorie and protein intake; we also evaluated the associations between clinicopathological variables, calorie and protein [...] Read more.
We investigated risk factors for treatment interruption (TI) in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (LAHNSCC) following concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), under the provision of recommended calorie and protein intake; we also evaluated the associations between clinicopathological variables, calorie and protein supply, nutrition–inflammation biomarkers (NIBs), total body composition change (TBC), and a four-serum-amino-acid metabolite panel (histidine, leucine, ornithine, and phenylalanine) among these patients. Patients with LAHNSCC who completed the entire planned CCRT course and received at least 25 kcal/kg/day and 1 g of protein/kg/day during CCRT were prospectively recruited. Clinicopathological variables, anthropometric data, blood NIBs, CCRT-related factors, TBC data, and metabolite panels before and after treatment were collected; 44 patients with LAHNSCC were enrolled. Nine patients (20.4%) experienced TIs. Patients with TIs experienced greater reductions in hemoglobin, serum levels of albumin, uric acid, histidine, and appendicular skeletal mass, and suffered from more grade 3/4 toxicities than those with no TI. Neither increased daily calorie supply (≥30 kcal/kg/day) nor feeding tube placement was correlated with TI. Multivariate analysis showed that treatment-interval changes in serum albumin and histidine levels, but not treatment toxicity, were independently associated with TI. Thus, changes in serum levels of albumin and histidine over the treatment course could cause TI in patients with LAHNSCC following CCRT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Approaches to Improve the Prognosis of Head-and-Neck Cancer)
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11 pages, 980 KiB  
Article
Prognostic Role of Preoperative Sarcopenia Evaluation of Cervical Muscles with Long-Term Outcomes of Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
by Takuya Yoshimura, Hajime Suzuki, Hirotaka Takayama, Shotaro Higashi, Yuka Hirano, Masahiro Tezuka, Takayuki Ishida, Kiyohide Ishihata, Marie Amitani, Haruka Amitani, Yasuhiro Nishi, Yasunori Nakamura, Yasushi Imamura, Etsuro Nozoe and Norifumi Nakamura
Cancers 2021, 13(18), 4725; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13184725 - 21 Sep 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2364
Abstract
Accumulating evidence has shown that sarcopenia in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is at a risk of poor prognosis. There is no universal consensus on how to assess sarcopenia in patients with OSCC in daily practice. It is important to validate [...] Read more.
Accumulating evidence has shown that sarcopenia in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is at a risk of poor prognosis. There is no universal consensus on how to assess sarcopenia in patients with OSCC in daily practice. It is important to validate the usefulness of sarcopenia assessment from cervical muscles, which are frequently used in routine clinical practice in patients with OSCC. In this study, we investigated whether preoperative lumbar (L3) skeletal muscle mass and adiposity in OSCC patients were associated with cervical (C3) skeletal muscle mass and adiposity from CT measurements. We also investigated whether skeletal muscle mass and adiposity in the C3 muscles were associated with survival rates in patients with OSCC. We demonstrated that both the quality and quantity of muscle between the C3 and L3 levels were positively correlated with each other. We also demonstrated that the survival rates in patients with low sternocleidomastoid muscle mass index, high processus spinosus muscle-intramuscular adipose tissue content, and the combination of both were significantly lower than those in the controls. These results suggest that the assessment of sarcopenia from multiple neck muscles by preoperative CT measurements may be useful in predicting the prognosis of patients with OSCC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Approaches to Improve the Prognosis of Head-and-Neck Cancer)
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Review

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15 pages, 2069 KiB  
Review
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms as Biomarker Predictors of Oral Mucositis Severity in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Submitted to Combined Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy: A Systematic Review
by Ronaldo Cavalieri, Harley Francisco de Oliveira, Thais Louvain de Souza and Milton Masahiko Kanashiro
Cancers 2024, 16(5), 949; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16050949 - 27 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1421
Abstract
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common type of genetic variation found in an individual’s DNA sequences. SNPs can occur in both coding and non-coding regions of the genome and can affect gene expression, protein function, and disease susceptibility. In this systematic [...] Read more.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common type of genetic variation found in an individual’s DNA sequences. SNPs can occur in both coding and non-coding regions of the genome and can affect gene expression, protein function, and disease susceptibility. In this systematic review, we evaluate the potential of SNPs as biomarkers in the assessment of oral mucositis (OM) severity in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients treated with concomitant chemoradiation (CRT). The study selection process involved screening 66 articles from different platforms, and after removing duplicates and excluding articles that did not meet the eligibility criteria, 23 articles were included for full-text evaluation. Among them, genes from several pathways were analyzed. The DNA damage repair pathways had the highest number of genes studied. The most frequently analyzed gene was XRCC1. The proinflammatory cytokine pathways evaluated were TNF, with three articles, and NF-κB, with one article. Most included studies showed a potential association between certain SNPs and high-grade mucositis. We conclude that SNPs can be used as possible biomarkers for the assessment of OM intensity in HNC patients, and further research is needed to explore the potential of SNPs in personalized medicine for HNC treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Approaches to Improve the Prognosis of Head-and-Neck Cancer)
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