BackgroundSurvivors of head and neck cancer (HNC) experience long-term physical and psychosocial effects post-treatment, however, often receive fragmented survivorship care. Evidence-based survivorship guidelines exist, but implementation remains limited. Poor coordination, insufficient communication, and lack of tailored support contribute to unmet patient needs. Treatment Summary and Survivorship Care Plans (TSSP) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) may improve self-efficacy and adherence to survivorship care recommendations. This study aims to evaluate whether a personalized TSSP along with a one-time MI counselling session improves physician implementation of survivorship care recommendations, patient satisfaction with post-treatment care, and quality of life (QoL) among HNC survivors.Methods/designThis study is a prospective, single-centre, two-arm, superiority randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Outcomes will be evaluated at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months post-baseline visit. A total of 252 HNC survivors (stage I-IVA, aged >= 18 years, 3-6 months post-definitive treatment, English-speaking, with no metastatic or residual disease) will be recruited by a trained research assistant through the Survivorship Clinic at Victoria Hospital in London, Canada. Recruitment began in May 2025. Participants will be randomized to either the intervention group (TSSP and MI session) or the control group (usual care only). The intervention consists of a 45-min MI session delivered by a trained nurse practitioner, focused on exploring the top 3 patient survivorship symptoms/concerns, providing resources and referrals, and goal-setting related to survivorship care recommendations. The primary outcome is the proportion of patient-identified survivorship symptoms/concerns addressed by primary care providers (PCP) at 12 months post-baseline between study groups, with secondary assessments at 3 and 6 months. Secondary outcomes include patient satisfaction with the TSSP and MI session, patient satisfaction with care and information, QoL, and PCP feedback on the utility of the TSSP. Descriptive statistics will be reported, and intention-to-treat analyses will be conducted using mixed-effects models to evaluate group differences over time.DiscussionThis study will contribute new evidence on the feasibility and effectiveness of integrating a scalable, combined TSSP and MI counselling intervention into routine HNC survivorship care. By promoting patient-centered communication, this approach may empower survivors to engage in self-management and improve long-term health outcomes. Findings will inform best practices for survivorship care planning and support the implementation of patient-tailored interventions across various oncology settings.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT06127784. Registered on Nov. 6, 2023; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06127784.

Objective The primary objective was to analyze percutaneous dilatation tracheostomy (PDT) management in the intensive care unit (ICU) by comparison with surgical tracheostomy (ST) outside of the ICU, with respect to: (i) long‐term postoperative outcomes, including rate of follow‐up, return to the emergency department, and major and minor complications; (ii) timing of decannulation, including time to decannulation, decannulation after >30 days, and decannulation at discharge. The secondary objective was to compare perioperative outcomes, including major and minor complications. Methods A retrospective study from April 2013 to 2024 at a tertiary referral center. Eligible patients included those over 18 years old without PDT contraindications who received PDT in the ICU or ST. Results Final analysis included 250 patients (125 [50%] PDT; 125 [50%] ST). The mean (SD) age of patients was 60.05 (16.41) years, and 85 (34.0%) were female. Compared with the ST group, the PDT group experienced significantly decreased long‐term follow‐up (41 [39.8%] vs. 115 [95.0%], respectively, p < 0.001), increased emergency department returns (61 [64.2%] vs. 31 [26.1%], p < 0.001), longer time to decannulation (estimated median difference: 11.00 days [95% CI: 7.00 to 15.00, p < 0.001]), increased decannulation after >30 days (23 [34.8%] vs. 13 [12.7%], p < 0.001), and similar postoperative complications (8 [8.4%] vs. 8 [6.8%], p = 0.664). The PDT group experienced significantly more perioperative complications (37 [30.1%] vs. 22 [17.6%], p = 0.021). Conclusion The decreased long‐term follow‐up, delayed decannulation, and increased complications after PDT highlight potential pitfalls in ICU tracheostomy management, demonstrating the need for refined protocols, appropriate consultant involvement, and improved patient selection. Level of Evidence 3 Laryngoscope , 2025

ImportanceOral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is rare in patients ≤40 years, and their risk factors, presentation, and outcomes may differ from older patients.ObjectiveTo assess the epidemiology, risk factors, and oncologic outcomes of young patients (≤40 years) with OCSCC compared to those >40 years.DesignA multi-institutional retrospective cohort study.SettingNine Canadian institutions from 2005 to 2019.ParticipantsIn total, 4506 adults with OCSCC, of whom 205 (4.55%) were young and 4301 were older than 40.Interventions or ExposuresThe primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), comparing young and older patients. The identification of risk factors for OCSCC development in young patients was a secondary outcome.Main Outcome MeasuresOS, DFS, and risk factor identification.ResultsOral tongue cancer was the most common subsite (48.9%), with a significantly higher proportion of cases in young patients (73.4% vs 47.7%, P < .01). Young patients were more likely to present at an earlier clinical stage (T1: 44% young vs 31% old, P < .01) and were less likely to smoke (57% young vs 31% old, P < .01) or consume alcohol (72% young vs 58% old, P < .01). Multivariable analysis showed that smoking status, previous head and neck cancer, and advanced stage were significantly associated with decreased OS and DFS (P < .05). No significant differences were found in local (P = .61), regional (P = .67), or distant (P = .50) disease failure between age groups.Conclusions and RelevanceYoung patients with OCSCC were less likely to smoke or drink and presented at earlier stages, but they did not experience improved OS or DFS compared to older patients. These findings emphasize the need for further research into biological differences in OCSCC between young and older patients.

Objectives: Cancers of the maxillary region are often treated surgically with a maxillectomy followed by rehabilitation involving surgical reconstruction or obturator insertion to improve functional outcomes. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding the specific indications for either rehabilitation method. The objective of this study was to identify unique functional domains for maxillectomy patients who underwent surgical reconstruction or obturator insertion post-op to provide standardized data that can inform selection of either method. Methods: This mixed-methods qualitative research was conducted from January 2020 to June 2022 at London Health Sciences Centre, a tertiary care center in London, Ontario, Canada. Phase I included open-ended patient interviews through grounded theory, while phase II incorporated focus groups through the Delphi technique. Phase I identified functional domains of interest, which were further refined based on importance to patients in phase II. Inclusion criteria consisted of adults, 18 years or older who underwent maxillectomy surgery for head and neck cancer. Results: A total of 22 patients were included in phase I and 8 patients were included in phase II. The top 4 functional domains that affected patients regardless of rehabilitation method were eating difficulties, speaking difficulties, social discomfort with public eating, and numbness. The top 4 unique functional domains identified for the surgical group were dry mouth, trismus, chewing difficulties, and eye-related symptoms. The top 4 unique functional domains for the obturator group were obturator discomfort, nasal regurgitation, weight loss, and voice changes. Conclusions: This study identified functional domains affecting maxillectomy patients, which can be used to inform decisions regarding selection of rehabilitation method in clinical practice. This data can also in the future to create the first patient-reported outcomes instrument for this patient population.

BACKGROUND:Advanced head and neck malignancies with underlying bony involvement often require aggressive oncological resection of large segments of the oral cavity including the mandible. These patients require vascularized donor osseous free tissue transfer to reconstruct significant defects. Traditionally, the donor bone is harvested on its vascular supply and shaped to the defect in a free hand fashion (FHS). However, virtual surgical planning (VSP) has emerged as a method to optimize reconstructive outcomes and decrease operative time. The goals of this study are to assess superiority of VSP to FHS by comparing bony union rates at 12 months, short and long-term complication rates, reconstruction accuracy, quality of life (QOL), functional outcomes, and economic analysis. METHODS:This is a multicenter phase II/III study randomizing four hundred twenty head and neck patients undergoing mandibulectomy in a 1:1 ratio between VSP and FHS. Intention-to-treat analysis will be performed for patients enrolled but unable to undergo VSP-aided reconstruction. The primary endpoint is bony-union rates at 1 year post-operatively. Secondary outcomes include complication rates, QOL, functional outcomes, and economic burden. DISCUSSION:This study will provide an assessment of two different surgical approaches to the reconstructive methods of mandible defects using fibular or scapular free flaps on bony-union rates, complications, QOL and economics. TRIAL REGISTRATION:Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT05429099. Date of registration: June 23, 2022. Current version: 1.0 on March 6, 2024.

Importance:Myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS) is associated with increased perioperative mortality; however, the incidence and prognostic impact of MINS after major head and neck surgery remains uncertain. Objective:To determine the incidence and clinical implications of MINS in patients after major head and neck surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants:This cohort study used data from the VISION (Vascular Events in Noncardiac Surgery Patients Cohort Evaluation; 2017) study, an international prospective cohort study that analyzed more than 35 000 patients who had noncardiac surgery. Of those, 648 patients (1.8%) underwent major head and neck surgery requiring at least 1-day hospital admission and screening for MINS via troponin T (TnT) concentrations measured during the first 3 postoperative days. MINS was defined as a high-sensitivity TnT (hsTnT) of 20 to 64 ng/L and absolute change more than 5 ng/L or hsTnT 65 ng/L or greater (ie, fifth-generation assay) and cardiac ischemia. When using fourth-generation assay, MINS was defined as non-hsTNT 0.04 ng/mL or greater and cardiac ischemia. Data analyses were performed from October to December 2024. Main Outcomes and Measures:MINS incidence and its association with 30-day mortality. All clinical outcomes were analyzed using Cox regression models and length of hospital stay (LOHS) was analyzed using multivariable linear regression. Results:Among 648 patients (265 [40.9%] female and 383 [59.1%] male; 376 [58.0%] aged 45 to 64 years), the incidence of MINS after major head and neck surgery was 11.9% (95% CI, 9.39%-14.4%), rising to 23.8% (95% CI, 15.7%-32%) among those aged 75 years or older. MINS occurred more often in patients with medical comorbidities. The proportion of MINS that would have gone undetected without TnT monitoring was 68.8% (95% CI, 57.3%-78.9%). In this cohort, 30-day and 1-year mortality were 1.9% (95% CI, 0.8%-2.9%) and 13.1% (95% CI, 10.5%-15.7%), respectively. MINS was associated with increased 30-day mortality (hazard ratio, 5.51; 95% CI, 1.75-17.36) and prolonged LOHS in patients with MINS with at least 1 ischemic feature (adjusted β, 3.15 days; 95% CI, 1.47-6.76 days). Conclusions and Relevance:This cohort study found that myocardial injury was common among patients undergoing major head and neck surgery, especially those aged 75 years or older and those with comorbidities. Nearly 70% of MINS cases go undetected without TnT monitoring, and MINS may contribute to worse 30-day postoperative mortality and prolonged LOHS. Further prospective validation is needed to evaluate the role of MINS screening in improving clinical outcomes after major head and neck surgery.

PURPOSE:The incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) has risen rapidly, because of an epidemic of human papillomavirus infection. The optimal management of early-stage OPSCC with surgery or radiation continues to be a clinical controversy. Long-term randomized data comparing these paradigms are lacking.METHODS:We randomly assigned patients with T1-T2, N0-2 (≤ 4 cm) OPSCC to radiotherapy (RT) (with chemotherapy if N1-2) versus transoral robotic surgery plus neck dissection (TORS + ND) (with or without adjuvant therapy). The primary end point was swallowing quality of life (QOL) at 1-year using the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory. Secondary end points included adverse events, other QOL outcomes, overall survival, and progression-free survival. All analyses were intention-to-treat. Herein, we present long-term outcomes from the trial.RESULTS:Sixty-eight patients were randomly assigned (n = 34 per arm) between August 10, 2012, and June 9, 2017. Median follow-up was 45 months. Longitudinal MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory analyses demonstrated statistical superiority of RT arm over time (P = .049), although the differences beyond 1 year were of smaller magnitude than at the 1-year timepoint (year 2: 86.0 ± 13.5 in the RT arm v 84.8 ± 12.5 in the TORS + ND arm, P = .74; year 3: 88.9 ± 11.3 v 83.3 ± 13.9, P = .12). These differences did not meet the threshold to qualify as a clinically meaningful change at any timepoint. Certain differences in QOL concerns including more pain and dental concerns in the TORS + ND arm seen at 1 year resolved at 2 and 3 years; however, TORS patients started to use more nutritional supplements at 3 years (P = .015). Dry mouth scores were higher in RT patients over time (P = .041).CONCLUSION:On longitudinal analysis, the swallowing QOL difference between primary RT and TORS + ND approaches persists but decreases over time. Patients with OPSCC should be informed about the pros and cons of both treatment options (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01590355).

BACKGROUND:This ORATOR sub-study evaluated swallowing physiology in patients treated with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) versus radiotherapy (RT) for early-stage oropharynx cancer. METHODS:Swallowing physiology was evaluated using videofluoroscopy and outcomes were compared across treatment arms and correlated with MDADI scores. RESULTS:Of the 68 patients in the ORATOR trial, 21 participated in this sub-study (30.8%), including 15 RT Arm and six TORS Arm patients. Swallowing profiles were not significantly different between the arms. MBSImP pharyngeal scores for RT Arm versus TORS Arm patients were 4.8 (±2.1) versus 4.3 (±1.5) at baseline, 6.2 (±1.2) versus 9.6 (±4.8) at 6 months and 5.9 (±1.8) versus 8.0 (±4.7) at 12 months. MBSImP pharyngeal scores demonstrated weak associations with several MDADI subscales and PAS scores. CONCLUSIONS:To best describe swallowing outcomes in studies of RT and/or surgery, instrumental swallowing assessments should be strongly considered in addition to quality of life measures.

ObjectiveApply the Sustainability in Quality Improvement framework to virtual care for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) patients to understand the economic, environmental, and social impacts.MethodsThis project consisted of retrospective analysis of anonymized data from all appointments that took place in three academic ambulatory OHNS clinics (pediatrics, head and neck, and otology/neurotology) from fiscal years of 2021 to 2023. Data were obtained from our institution's Virtual Care Dashboard. The following metrics were calculated: travel costs avoided with virtual appointments (economic value), fuel and carbon emissions avoided with virtual appointments (environmental value), and differences in Ontario Marginalization (ON-Marg) Index scores between patients seen virtually versus in-person (social value).ResultsA total of 41,343 visits occurred over the 2-year period (18.1% virtual). Nearly all virtual visits were by telephone (99.6%). The average cost savings per virtual care visit was $87.50, and total cost savings across all 3 clinics was $640,300. Total environmental savings were 82,500 L of fuel and 246.6 metric tons of carbon emissions. There were no statistical differences in monthly average marginalization (ON-Marg) indices in patients seen virtually compared to in-person.DiscussionVirtual care demonstrated financial and environmental savings for OHNS patients that can accumulate over multiple appointments. No difference in ON-Marg indices between patients assessed virtually versus in-person suggests that virtual care was accessible for patients regardless of social background.Implications for PracticeOur data suggests that virtual care may be a viable complement for delivering OHNS care that leads to fiscal and environmental savings for patients and ensures equitable access to care.

ObjectiveOne minute of operating room (OR) time costs $36 to 37. However, ORs are notoriously inefficient. There is growing literature on improving OR efficiency, but no formal review of this topic within otolaryngology has been performed. This study reviews and synthesizes the current literature on improving OR efficiency within otolaryngology.Data SourcesMEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, , and medRxiv were searched on November 4, 2022.Review MethodsPublished English studies were included if they reported on metrics for improving OR efficiency within otolaryngology. There were no publication date restrictions. Articles were screened by 2 reviewers. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis reporting for scoping reviews was followed.ResultsThe search yielded 9316 no-duplicate articles; 129 articles were included. Most of the studies reported on head and neck procedures (n = 52/129). The main tactics included surgical considerations: hemostatic devices, techniques, and team/simultaneous approaches; anesthetic considerations: local anesthetic and laryngeal mask airways; procedure location considerations: procedures outside of the OR and remote technologies; standardization: equipment, checklists, and personnel; scheduling considerations: use of machine learning for booking, considering patient/surgeon factors, and utilizing dedicated OR time/multidisciplinary teams for on-call cases.ConclusionThe current literature brings to attention numerous strategies for improving OR efficiency within otolaryngology. Applying these strategies and implementing novel techniques to manage surgical cases may assist in offloading overloaded health care systems and improving access to care while facilitating patient safety and outcomes. Anticipated barriers to implementation include resistance to change, funding, and the current strain on health care systems and providers.

Recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (RMHNSCC) is associated with a poor prognosis and short survival duration. There is an urgent need to identify personalized predictors of drug response to guide the selection of the most effective therapy for each individual recurrence. We tested the feasibility of patient -derived xenografts (PDX) for guiding their RMHNSCC salvage treatment. Fresh tumor samples from eligible, consented patients were implanted into mice. Established tumors were expanded in mouse PDX cohorts to identify responses to candidate salvage drug treatments in parallel testing. Patients alive and suitable for chemotherapy were treated based on responses determined by PDX testing. Nine patient tumors were successfully engrafted in mice with an average time of 89.2 +/- 41.7 days. Four patients' PDX models underwent parallel drug testing. Two patients received PDX-guided therapy. In one of these patients, single agents of cetuximab and paclitaxel demonstrated the best responses in the PDX model, and this patient exhibited sequential partial responses to each drug, including a 17 -month clinical response to cetuximab. The main limitation of PDX testing for RMHNSCC was the time delay in obtaining testing results. Despite this, parallel PDX testing may be feasible for a subset of patients and appears to correlate with clinical benefit.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is arguably the most lethal human malignancy. It often co-occurs with differentiated thyroid cancers, yet the molecular origins of its aggressivity are unknown. We sequenced tumor DNA from 329 regions of thyroid cancer, including 213 from patients with primary anaplastic thyroid carcinomas. We also whole genome sequenced 9 patients using multi-region sequencing of both differentiated and anaplastic thyroid cancer components. Using these data, we demonstrate thatanaplastic thyroid carcinomas have a higher burden of mutations than other thyroid cancers, with distinct mutational signatures and molecular subtypes. Further, different cancer driver genes are mutated in anaplastic and differentiated thyroid carcinomas, even those arising in a single patient. Finally, we unambiguously demonstrate that anaplastic thyroid carcinomas share a genomic origin with co-occurring differentiated carcinomas and emerge from a common malignant field through acquisition of characteristic clonal driver mutations.

Background:In previous analyses, myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery, major bleeding, and sepsis were independently associated with most deaths in the 30 days after noncardiac surgery, but most of these deaths occurred during the index hospitalization for surgery. The authors set out to describe outcomes after discharge from hospital up to 1 yr after inpatient noncardiac surgery and associations between predischarge complications and postdischarge death up to 1 yr after surgery.Methods:This study was an analysis of patients discharged after inpatient noncardiac surgery in a large international prospective cohort study across 28 centers from 2007 to 2013 of patients aged 45 yr or older followed to 1 yr after surgery. The study estimated (1) the cumulative postdischarge incidence of death and other outcomes up to a year after surgery and (2) the adjusted time-varying associations between postdischarge death and predischarge complications including myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery, major bleeding, sepsis, infection without sepsis, stroke, congestive heart failure, clinically important atrial fibrillation or flutter, amputation, venous thromboembolism, and acute kidney injury managed with dialysis.Results:Among 38,898 patients discharged after surgery, the cumulative 1-yr incidence was 5.8% (95% CI, 5.5 to 6.0%) for all-cause death and 24.7% (95% CI, 24.2 to 25.1%) for all-cause hospital readmission. Predischarge complications were associated with 33.7% (95% CI, 27.2 to 40.2%) of deaths up to 30 days after discharge and 15.0% (95% CI, 12.0 to 17.9%) up to 1 yr. Most of the association with death was due to myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (15.6% [95% CI, 9.3 to 21.9%] of deaths within 30 days, 6.4% [95% CI, 4.1 to 8.7%] within 1 yr), major bleeding (15.0% [95% CI, 8.3 to 21.7%] within 30 days, 4.7% [95% CI, 2.2 to 7.2%] within 1 yr), and sepsis (5.4% [95% CI, 2.2 to 8.6%] within 30 days, 2.1% [95% CI, 1.0 to 3.1%] within 1 yr).Conclusions:One in 18 patients 45 yr old or older discharged after inpatient noncardiac surgery died within 1 yr, and one quarter were readmitted to the hospital. The risk of death associated with predischarge perioperative complications persists for weeks to months after discharge. In a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of 38,898 patients across 28 hospitals aged 45 yr or older who had inpatient noncardiac surgery between 2007 and 2013 and survived to hospital discharge, 2,165 (5.6%; cumulative incidence, 5.8%) patients died within 1 yr after surgery. Complications during the index hospitalization were associated with 33.7% (95% CI, 27.2 to 40.2%) of deaths up to 30 days after discharge and 15.0% (95% CI, 12.0 to 17.9%) of deaths up to 1 yr after discharge. Myocardial injury (6.4%), major bleeding (4.7%), and sepsis (2.1%) were associated with the most deaths within 1 yr.

BACKGROUND:Lymphatic mapping with SPECT-CT has been demonstrated to accurately define lymphatic drainage patterns in oropharyngeal cancer but there has yet to be a study demonstrating its feasibility across multiple institutions. METHODS:Twelve adult patients with lateralized oropharyngeal carcinoma (T1-T3) who were planned for definitive or adjuvant radiotherapy without contralateral nodal disease underwent injection of 99-m technetium sulfur colloid followed by static planar lymphoscintigraphy to verify tracer migration, and SPECT-CT acquired at 30 ± 15 min (optional) and 3 h (±1 h) (mandatory time-point). RESULTS:All 12 patients completed the study with 7/12 patients having the injections performed under local anesthetic and 5 patients requiring general anesthetic. There were no tracer migration failures and there were no serious adverse events or complications encountered. Four out of 12 patients (33%) showed contralateral drainage patterns. CONCLUSIONS:Lymphatic mapping with SPECT-CT of lateralized oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma can be performed safely across multiple institutions.

Introduction Women in surgical specialties face different challenges than their male peers. However, there is a paucity of literature exploring these challenges and their effects on a Canadian surgeon’s career. Methods A REDCap® survey was distributed to Canadian Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) staff and residents in March 2021 using the national society listserv and social media. Questions examined practice patterns, leadership positions, advancement, and experiences of harassment. Gender differences in survey responses were explored. Results 183 completed surveys were obtained, representing 21.8% of the Canadian society membership [838 members with 205 (24.4%) women]. 83 respondents self-identified as female (40% response rate) and 100 as male (16% response rate). Female respondents reported significantly fewer residency peers and colleagues identifying as their gender (p < .001). Female respondents were significantly less likely to agree with the statement “My department had the same expectations of residents regardless of gender” (p < .001). Similar results were observed in questions about fair evaluation, equal treatment, and leadership opportunities (all p < .001). Male respondents held the majority of department chair (p = .028), site chief (p = .011), and division chief positions (p = .005). Women reported experiencing significantly more verbal sexual harassment during residency (p < .001), and more verbal non-sexual harassment as staff (p = .03) than their male colleagues. In both female residents and staff, this was more likely to originate from patients or family members (p < .03). Discussion There is a gender difference in the experience and treatment of OHNS residents and staff. By shedding light on this topic, as a specialty we can and must move towards greater diversity and equality. Graphical Abstract

The heterogeneity of retrosternal goiter size, nearby anatomical structures, and evolving surgical techniques translates to difficulty in selecting the most appropriate surgical approach. Decades of experience in the surgical treatment of retrosternal goiters at the London Health Sciences Centre has aided in the development of a management algorithm to guide the decision-making process. Although most retrosternal goiters can be removed transcervically, a small proportion of patients fulfill anatomical and radiological criteria for concurrent extracervical approaches. Anterior goiters above the level of the pericardium were resected using cervical thyroidectomy with either mediastinoscopic-assisted delivery or cervical thyroidectomy with video-assisted thyroidectomy (VATS). Anterior goiters extending beyond the pericardium require median sternotomy to facilitate sufficient vascular control and exposure. Posteriorly extending goiters can be managed using trans-thoracic approaches including lateral thoracotomy or VATS.

Head and neck cancer (HNCa) presents numerous challenges secondary to treatment. While there is substantial clinical awareness to the range of challenges demonstrated in this population, information on the impact of post-treatment fatigue is limited. This study investigated the degree of perceived fatigue in those treated for HNCa. The study was a cross-sectional, self-report, survey design. Adult participants (n = 47) completed a series of three questionnaires; two validated fatigue measures – the Fatigue Screening Inventory (FSI) and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) and a general health-related quality of life measure the European Organisation of Research on the Treatment of Cancer – Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQC30) and the head and neck site specific module (QLQ - H N 35) were administered. Of the 47 participants, more than half (55

Acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) with high-grade transformation is an aggressive subtype of salivary gland neoplasm. Only a few cases of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) production in metastatic ACC have been documented. We present a patient case of ACTH-dependent Cushing syndrome (CS) that developed 18 months after surgical resection of ACC. The original tissue sample was found to stain positive for ACTH, and the development of CS coincided with aggressive progression of ACC. Our case highlights the potential significance of ACTH staining in ACC and the development of CS as a signal of dedifferentiation, disease progression, and a poorer prognosis.