Relevance of 5 different imaging signs in the evaluation of carotid artery invasion by cervical lymphadenopathy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Prognostic significance of cervical radiologic carotid artery invasion by lymph node on magnetic resonance imaging in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

PURPOSE

Carotid artery invasion (CAI) has been demonstrated to be an important prognosticator in some head and neck cancers. This study aimed to examine the prognostic value of radiologic CAI (rCAI) by cervical lymphadenopathy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

METHODS

NPC patients treated between January 2013 and December 2016 were included. Pre-treatment MRIs were reviewed for cervical rCAI according to the radiologic criteria. Univariate and multivariate models were constructed to assess the association between cervical rCAI and clinical outcomes. A new N classification system was proposed and compared to the 8th AJCC system.

RESULTS

The percentage of patients with MRI-positive lymph nodes was 84.7% (494/583), of whom cervical rCAI cases accounted for 42.3% (209/494). Cervical rCAI was associated with significantly poorer OS, DFS, DFFS and RFFS compared to non-rCAI (P < 0.05). Multivariate analyses confirmed that cervical rCAI was an independent prognosticator for DFS and DFFS, surpassing other nodal features, such as laterality, size, cervical node necrosis (CNN) and radiologic extranodal extension (rENE), while location of positive LNs remained independently associated with OS, DFS and DFFS. We propose a refined N classification: New_N1: upper neck LNs only without cervical rCAI; New_N2: upper neck LNs only with cervical rCAI; New_N3: upper and lower LNs. The proposed classification broadened the differences in OS, DFS and DFFS between N1 and N2 disease, and achieved a higher c-index for DFS and DFFS.

CONCLUSIONS

Cervical rCAI was an independent unfavorable indicator of NPC. Compared to the AJCC system, the proposed N category showed satisfactory stratification between N1 and N2 disease, and better prediction of distant metastasis and disease failure.

Prediction model based on preoperative CT findings for carotid artery invasion in patients with head and neck masses

Objectives

To investigate the performance of a model in predicting carotid artery (CA) invasion in patients with head and neck masses using computed tomography (CT).

Methods

This retrospective study included patients with head and neck masses who underwent CT and surgery between January 2013 and July 2021. Patient characteristics and ten CT features were assessed by two radiologists. The patients were randomly allocated to a training cohort (n=106) and a validation cohort (n=109). Independent risk factors for CA invasion were assessed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The predictive model was established as a nomogram using the training cohort. In addition, the calibration, discrimination, reclassification, and clinical application of the model were assessed in the validation cohort.

Results

A total of 215 patients were evaluated, including 54 patients with CA invasion. Vascular wall deformation (odds ratio [OR], 7.17; p=0.02) and the extent of encasement to the CA (OR, 1.02; p&lt;0.001) were independent predictors of CA invasion in the multivariable analysis in the training cohort. The performance of the model was similar between the training and validation cohort, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.93 (95% confidence intervals [CI], 0.88-0.98) and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80-0.96) (p=0.07), respectively. The calibration curve showed a good agreement between the predicted and actual probabilities.

Conclusion

A predictive model for carotid artery invasion can be defined based on features that come from patient characteristics and CT data to help in improve surgical planning and invasion evaluation.

Utility of computed tomography findings as a predictor of carotid artery invasion by metastatic lymph nodes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

PURPOSE

Carotid artery invasion by metastatic lymph nodes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the diagnostic criteria for unresectable tumors. However, to date, the diagnostic criteria for carotid artery invasion have not been well documented. This study investigated the utility of computed tomography (CT) findings as a predictor of carotid artery invasion by metastatic lymph nodes in HNSCC.

METHODS

Twenty-eight patients who had metastatic lymph nodes of HNSCC attached to the carotid artery as seen on CT images before neck dissection from January 2011 to November 2017 were included. Five imaging parameters (angle of contact [AC], length of contact [LC], haziness of the carotid artery wall [HW], size of the lymph node, and involvement of the bifurcation of the carotid artery [IB]) were assessed using CT to predict carotid artery invasion. Furthermore, the utility of the combination of these five parameters was evaluated.

RESULTS

There were significant differences in AC, LC, and IB between patients with and without carotid artery invasion. There were significant differences in all combinations of the two image findings between patients with and without carotid artery invasion. In particular, the combinations of LC and HW, and LC and IB could clearly predict carotid artery invasion.

CONCLUSION

AC, LC, and IB were useful predictors of carotid artery invasion of metastatic lymph nodes in HNSCC. This study is the first to report that IB is a useful predictor of carotid artery invasion in HNSCC.

When Everything Revolves Around Internal Carotid Artery: Analysis of Different Management Strategies in Patients With Very Advanced Cancer Involving the Skull Base

Internal or common carotid artery encasement (CAE) is observed in almost 2-7% of head and neck cancers (HNC) and designates the tumor with the T4b category. This clinical scenario is associated with a dismal prognosis, owing to the risk for thrombosis and bleeding that usually characterizes such an advanced cancer. Standardized radiological criteria to infer invasion of the carotid artery are lacking. Complete surgical resection in the context of a multimodality treatment is supposed to offer the greatest chances of cure. Surgery can either be carotid-sparing or include carotidectomy. Data on probability of cerebrovascular and non-cerebrovascular complications, risk of carotid blowout, poor oncologic outcomes, and less-than-certain efficacy of diagnostic and interventional preventive procedures against cerebral infarction make it difficult to define surgery as the recommended option among other therapeutic strategies. Non-surgical therapies based on radiation therapy possibly combined with chemotherapy are more frequently employed in HNC with CAE. In this context, carotid blowout is the most feared complication, and its probability increases with tumor stage and cumulative radiation dose received by the vessel. The use of highly conformal radiotherapies such as intensity-modulated particle therapy might substantially improve the manageability of HNC with CAE by possibly reducing the risk of late sequalae. Despite evidence is frail, it appears logical that a case-by-case evaluation through multidisciplinary decision making between head and neck surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, diagnostic and interventional radiologists, and vascular surgeons are of paramount value to offer the best therapeutic solution to patients affected by HNC with CAE.

Role of MR Imaging in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Routine and advanced MR imaging sequences are used for locoregional spread, nodal, and distant staging of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, aids treatment planning, predicts treatment response, differentiates recurrence for postradiation changes, and monitors patients after chemoradiotherapy.

Consensus on resectability in N3 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas: GETTEC recommendations

BACKGROUND

Among patients with T0-2 N3 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), those undergoing upfront neck dissection have better oncological outcomes. However, there is no consensual definition of disease resectability of N3 nodes, leading to major treatment attrition and interpretation biases between studies. We established a Delphi method-based consensus to define resectability and impact on decision-making for upfront neck dissection in N3 patients.

METHODS

The Delphi method was designed as recommended by the French Haute Autorite de Sante among head and neck surgeons from university hospitals and cancer centers, using a 24-item questionnaire. Strong and relative agreements were subsequently established, and recommendations were written. The resulting recommendations were assessed by 30 independent surgeons.

RESULTS

N3 nodes with intraparenchymal brain invasion, foramen invasion, skull base erosion, nodes requiring bilateral XII^th cranial nerve sacrifice, retropharyngeal N3 node or a node above the plan of soft palate are major contraindications to neck dissection. When neck dissection requires unilateral sacrifice of the IX^th or X^th or XII^th cranial nerves or cervical nerve roots, upfront neck dissection may be performed, based on a case-by-case assessment of other patient and tumor estimates.

CONCLUSION

Consensual contraindications to neck dissection in patients with T0-2 N3 HNSCC were defined among French head and neck surgeons as concerns skull base invasion, retropharyngeal nodes and bilateral XII^th cranial nerve sacrifice. This consensus should allow more reliable comparisons between surgical and non-surgical strategies in N3 patients.

Imaging in oral cancers: A comprehensive review

This review aims at simplifying the relevant imaging anatomy, guiding the optimal imaging method and highlighting the key imaging findings that influence prognosis and management of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Early OSCC can be treated with either surgery alone while advanced cancers are treated with a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Considering the complex anatomy of the oral cavity and its surrounding structures, imaging plays an indispensable role not only in locoregional staging but also in the distant metastatic work-up and post treatment follow-up. Knowledge of the anatomy with understanding of common routes of spread of cancer, allows the radiologist to accurately determine disease extent and augment clinical findings to plan appropriate therapy. This review aims at simplifying the relevant imaging anatomy, guiding the optimal imaging method and highlighting the key imaging findings that influence prognosis and management.

Histological Assessment of the Carotid Sheath in Patients With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

PURPOSE

During surgical management of the neck using various types of neck dissection, the carotid sheath is removed, in particular, the part adjacent to the jugular lymph node chain, with the intention of preventing recurrence from the lymphatics present within it. The role of the carotid sheath as a potential origin for nodal recurrence has not been proved thus far. Working in a tissue plane between the carotid sheath and the neurovascular structures of the neck can lead to a greater chance of damage to these structures. Also, the carotid sheath is a strong fibroelastic tissue barrier that shields the internal jugular vein and carotid artery from saliva and local infection during the postoperative period. Thus, this study investigated the histopathology of the carotid sheath in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and assessed the pathologic infiltration of the carotid sheath when grossly uninvolved.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Pathologic infiltration and histopathologic characteristics of the entire length of the carotid sheath were assessed in 30 biopsy-proved cases of OSCC; these patients underwent surgical excision of the lesion in addition to neck dissection from 2013 to 2015 in the craniofacial unit of the authors' institution.

RESULTS

The carotid sheath consisted of fibrofatty tissue and interspersed nerve bundles. Neutrophilic infiltration and dilated lymphatic channels were seen in all 30 cases. Miniature lymph nodes adherent to the carotid sheath were seen in 5 cases and some lymphoid aggregates were seen in 15 cases. The carotid sheath in all 30 cases (metastatic and nonmetastatic) was free from tumor deposit and lymphatic tumor emboli, which are indicators of tumor cell infiltration.

CONCLUSION

Indicators of tumor cell infiltration were not found in any of the 30 cases. The result did not vary with the age or gender of the patient, tumor size, location, staging or grading of the tumor, or even when there were metastatic lymph nodes in the gross specimen. Hence, the role of the carotid sheath as a potential origin for nodal recurrence is questionable and its removal needs reconsideration.

Clinical impact of radiographic carotid artery involvement in neck metastases from head and neck cancer

The treatment of lymph node metastases involving the carotid artery is controversial. The aim of the present study was to determine the outcomes of head and neck cancer patients with radiographic carotid artery involvement in neck metastases. A total of 27 patients with head and neck cancer and radiologically diagnosed advanced metastases involving the common carotid artery or internal carotid artery were enrolled. All patients underwent a primary or salvage neck dissection and surgical carotid peeling. The oncological outcome and survival of all patients were analyzed. Loco-regional control was observed in 13 of the 27 patients (48.1%). During follow-up, five patients (18.5%) developed second primaries and 11 (40.7%) developed distant metastases. The survival time was poor independent of regional control. The median overall survival was 1.55 years and disease-free survival was 0.71 year. Radiographic carotid artery involvement in neck metastases in head and neck cancer appears to correlate with a poor long-term prognosis, with a high rate of distant metastases despite loco-regional control.

Tumour–node–metastasis staging of human papillomavirus negative upper aerodigestive tract cancers: a critical appraisal

Objective:

The tumour–node–metastasis staging system has a dynamic structure that is continuously being updated as scientific data develops. This review discusses some suggested revisions on tumour–node–metastasis staging of human papillomavirus negative upper aerodigestive tract cancers.

Methods:

The seventh edition of The American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual was reviewed and important issues that could be considered for revision were identified and discussed.

Results:

According to our assessment of the oncological outcomes of previous studies, the following factors should be considered for revision: anterior commissure involvement and subglottic extension in laryngeal cancers; underlying bone involvement in hard palate and upper alveolar ridge cancers; tumour thickness in oral cancers; and extracapsular spread and carotid artery involvement in neck metastases.

Conclusion:

Sufficient data on the prognostic importance of these issues have been reported. Suggested revisions in line with current knowledge on the clinical behaviour of upper aerodigestive tract cancers would improve the relevancy of staging.

The impact of HPV infection, smoking history, age and operability of the patient on disease-specific survival in a geographically defined cohort of patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive tumours had better 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) than HPV-negative patients. TNM score only predicted prognosis among HPV-negative patients. A previous history of smoking and age at diagnosis predicted DSS among HPV-positive patients whereas operability at diagnosis predicted DSS among both HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients.

OBJECTIVES

HPV is a risk factor for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The extent to which smoking, age and operability could play a role in HPV-positive surgically treated head and neck SCCs has not been extensively addressed previously and this study aimed to evaluate these factors.

METHODS

We identified 232 patients with OPSCC, of which 186 from the tonsil or base of the tongue region were treated in the period 1992-2008 in Western Norway. The 5-year DSS was recorded. Details on smoking history and whether the lesion was operable or not, as well as clinical information, were obtained retrospectively from the hospital records.

RESULTS

TNM stage predicted survival only among HPV-negative patients. A previous smoking affected prognosis only among HPV-positive patients (relative risk (RR) = 2.5; confidence interval (CI) = 1.0-6.2; p = 0.05). Increasing age of the patient had a negative effect on survival in HPV-positive patients only, especially among the oldest quartile (RR = 4.4; CI = 2.0-9.0; p < 0.001). Whether the tumour was operable or not uniquely predicted DSS both among HPV-positive (RR = 0.34; CI = 0.13-0.93; p < 0.05) and HPV-negative (RR = 0.25; CI = 0.10-0.66; p < 0.01) patients with tonsil/base of the tongue SCC.

Value of MR and CT Imaging for Assessment of Internal Carotid Artery Encasement in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective. This study was conducted to assess the value of CT and MR imaging in the preoperative evaluation of ICA encasement. Methods. Based upon three patient groups this study was performed. Retrospective analysis of 260 neck dissection reports from 2001 to 2010 was performed to determine unexpected peroperative-diagnosed encasement. Two experienced head and neck radiologists reviewed 12 scans for encasement. Results. In four out of 260 (1.5%) patients undergoing neck dissection, preoperative imaging was false negative as there was peroperative encasement of the ICA. Of 380 patients undergoing preoperative imaging, the radiologist reported encasement of the ICA in 25 cases. In 342 cases no encasement was described, 125 of these underwent neck dissection, and 2 had encasement peroperatively. The interobserver variation kappa varied from 0.273 to 1 for the different characteristics studied. Conclusion. These retrospectively studied cohorts demonstrate that preoperative assessment of encasement of the ICA using MRI and/or CT was of value in evaluation of ICA encasement and therefore contributively in selecting operable patients (without ICA encasement), since in only 1.5% encasement was missed. However, observer variation affects the reliability of this feature.

Value of magnetic resonance imaging for nodal staging in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting lymph node metastases in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, the CBM disc databases, and other databases were searched for relevant original articles published between January 1990 and January 2011. Meta-analysis methods were used to pool sensitivity and specificity and to construct summary receiver-operating characteristic, and to calculate positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-). We also compared the performance of MRI with other diagnostic methods (positron emission tomography, computed tomography, and ultrasound) by analyzing studies that had also used these diagnostic methods on the same patients.

RESULTS

Across 16 studies, there was no evidence of publication bias (P = .15). Sensitivity and specificity of MRI for cervical lymph node status in patients with HNSCC across all studies were 76% (95% CI: 70%-82%) and 86% (95% CI: 73%-93%), respectively. Overall, Positive likelihood ratios was 5.47 (95% CI: 2.69-11.11) and positive negative likelihood ratios was 0.28 (95% CI: 0.21-0.36), respectively. The comparison of MRI performance with that of other diagnostic tools (positron emission tomography, computed tomography, and ultrasound) suggested no major differences against any of these methods. The Subgroup by using diffusion-weighted imaging had higher pooled sensitivity (0.86, 95% CI 0.78-0.92) than the subgroup without diffusion-weighted imaging.

CONCLUSION

MRI has good diagnostic performance in the overall pretreatment evaluation of node staging with HNSCC. A limited number of small studies suggest DWI is superior to conventional imaging for nodal staging of HNSCC.

Current management of advanced resectable oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma

The oral cavity is the most common site of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a disease which results in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Though the primary modality of treatment for patients with oral cavity cancer remains surgical resection, many patients present with advanced disease and are thus treated using a multi-disciplinary approach. Patients with extracapsular spread of lymphatic metastasis and surgical margins that remain positive have been found to be at high risk for local-regional recurrence and death from disease, and are most often recommended to receive both post-operative radiation as well as systemic chemotherapy. The basis for this approach, as well as scientific developments that underly future trials of novels treatments for patients with high-risk oral cavity cancer are reviewed.