A Study of Otorhinolaryngological Diseases with Ophthalmic Complications: At a Tertiary Care Center

The eyeball and the orbit are neighbours of the ENT region. This close proximity, makes the involvement of the orbit and there of ophthalmological manifestations fairly common in the practise of Otorhinolaryngology. This was a prospective study. All the patients presenting with ophthalmological manifestations due to various ear, nose, throat and head-neck pathologies were constituted in this study. This study was carried out on 50 patients of all age groups with ophthalmological complications along with ENT diseases who came to the department of ENT and head-neck surgery and department of Ophthalmology of N.S.C.B. Government Medical College, Jabalpur from August 2018 to August 2019. The diseases of ENT with orbital extension must be considered whenever a patient presents with signs and symptoms of orbital disease such as proptosis, orbital mass, restriction of eye movements, neurological dysfunction of eye, chemosis, vision disturbances or epiphora. A firmer knowledge of orbital anatomy with respect to sinonasal region is required for any surgeon dealing with this important area, for a safer and more secure management in this complex region. Surgery remains the main stay of treatment for sinonasal diseases with orbital complications. Rapid diagnosis and treatment are of utmost importance in preserving vision and life in these patients.

Absence of Survival Improvement for Patients with Esthesioneuroblastoma Over the Past 2 Decades: A Population-Based Study

OBJECTIVE

Esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) is a rare malignancy of the sinonasal tract and its infrequency has confounded efforts at clearly describing the survival trends associated with this neoplasm over the years. In this study, we reviewed survival trends in ENB and investigated the impact of treatment extent and modality on patient outcomes.

METHODS

We accessed the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) program to identify ENB cases from 1998 to 2016. A χ² test was used to compare the categorical covariates and a t test or Mann-Whitney U test was utilized for continuous variables. The impact of prognostic factors on survival was computed using a Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. We divided ENB patients into 4 periods including 1998-2002, 2003-2007, 2008-2012, and 2013-2016, and investigated survival trends using the Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank test.

RESULTS

ENB patients who underwent biopsy alone were associated with older age, larger tumor diameter, increased rates of tumor extension, nodal/distant metastases, and advanced stages as compared with patients undergoing tumor resection. Our results also demonstrated that surgical resection and adjuvant radiotherapy could confer survival advantages, whereas chemotherapy was associated with reduced survival in patients with ENB. Over the past 2 decades, surprisingly, there has been no change in survival rates for patient with ENB (P = 0.793).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite advanced diagnostic studies and modernized treatment approaches, ENB survival has remained unchanged over the years, calling for improved efforts to develop appropriate individualized interventions for this rare tumor entity. Our results also confirmed that surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy is associated with improved patient survival whereas the use of chemotherapy should be considered carefully.

Of mice and men: olfactory neuroblastoma among animals and humans

Olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB) is a rare tumour of nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses that arises from the olfactory neuroepithelium and has unpredictable clinical course. As the sense of smell is phylogenetically one of the first senses and olfactory neuroepithelium is evolutionary conserved with striking similarities among different species, we performed an extensive analysis of the literature in order to evaluate the similarities and differences between animals and humans on the clinical, morphological, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural and molecular level. Our analysis revealed that ONB was reported mainly in mammals and showed striking similarities to human ONB. These observations provide rationale for introduction of therapy modalities used in humans into the veterinary medicine. Animal models of neuroblastoma should be considered for the preclinical studies evaluating novel therapies for ONB.

Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma: morphological heterogeneity, diagnosis, management and biological markers

Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma is a highly aggressive lesion arising in the superior nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Differential diagnosis is wide because a range of similar lesions can present at this site. There is increasing evidence that sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma is a surface (Schneiderian) epithelial-derived malignancy, with or without concurrent neuroendocrine differentiation. Prognosis is poor; recurrence with metastasis to lymph nodes and distant sites is frequent. A combination of radical surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy appears to provide the best chance of survival.

Esthesioneuroblastoma: one of the causes of proptosis

Esthesioneuroblatoma (Olfactory neuroblastoma) is a rare malignant neoplasm arising from the olfactory epithelium with bimodal age distribution between with first peak in second decades and second peak in sixth decade. Proptosis due to esthesioneuroblastoma is one of the rare causes. They have a long natural history characterized by frequent local or regional recurrence. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are the imaging modalities for diagnosing these tumors. A multidisciplinary approach with surgery and radiation therapy is an excellent treatment options for these tumors with chemotherapy being used to treat advanced or recurrent disease.

Ectopic sphenoid sinus pituitary adenoma (ESSPA) with normal anterior pituitary gland: a clinicopathologic and immunophenotypic study of 32 cases with a comprehensive review of the english literature

Ectopic sphenoid sinus pituitary adenoma (ESSPA) may arise from a remnant of Rathke's pouch. These tumors are frequently misdiagnosed as other neuroendocrine or epithelial neoplasms which may develop in this site (olfactory neuroblastoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma, paraganglioma, melanoma). Thirty-two patients with ESSPA identified in patients with normal pituitary glands (intact sella turcica) were retrospectively retrieved from the consultation files of the authors' institutions. Clinical records were reviewed with follow-up obtained. An immunohistochemical panel was performed on available material. Sixteen males and 16 females, aged 2-84 years (mean, 57.1 years), presented with chronic sinusitis, headache, obstructive symptoms, and visual field defects, although several were asymptomatic (n = 6). By definition, the tumors were centered within the sphenoid sinus and demonstrated, by imaging studies or intraoperative examination, a normal sella turcica without a concurrent pituitary adenoma. A subset of tumors showed extension into the nasal cavity (n = 5) or nasopharynx (n = 9). Mean tumor size was 3.4 cm. The majority of tumors were beneath an intact respiratory epithelium (n = 22), arranged in many different patterns (solid, packets, organoid, pseudorosette-rosette, pseudopapillary, single file, glandular, trabecular, insular). Bone involvement was frequently seen (n = 21). Secretions were present (n = 16). Necrosis was noted in 8 tumors. The tumors showed a variable cellularity, with polygonal, plasmacytoid, granular, and oncocytic tumor cells. Severe pleomorphism was uncommon (n = 5). A delicate, salt-and-pepper chromatin distribution was seen. In addition, there were intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions (n = 25) and multinucleated tumor cells (n = 18). Mitotic figures were infrequent, with a mean of 1 per 10 HPFs and a <1% proliferation index (Ki-67). There was a vascularized to sclerotic or calcified stroma. Immunohistochemistry highlighted the endocrine nature of the tumors, with synaptophysin (97%), CD56 (91%), NSE (76%) and chromogranin (71%); while pan-cytokeratin was positive in 79%, frequently with a dot-like Golgi accentuation (50%). Reactivity with pituitary hormones included 48% reactive for 2 or more hormones (plurihormonal), and 33% reactive for a single hormone, with prolactin seen most frequently (59%); 19% of cases were non-reactive. The principle differential diagnosis includes olfactory neuroblastoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, melanoma, and meningioma. All patients were treated with surgery. No patients died from disease, although one patient died with persistent disease (0.8 months). Surgery is curative in the majority of cases, although recurrence/persistence was seen in 4 patients (13.8%). In conclusion, ESSPAs are rare, affecting middle aged patients with non-specific symptoms, showing characteristic light microscopy and immunohistochemical features of their intrasellar counterparts. When encountering a tumor within the sphenoid sinus, ectopic pituitary adenoma must be considered, and pertinent imaging, clinical, and immunohistochemical evaluation undertaken to exclude tumors within the differential diagnosis. This will result in accurate classification, helping to prevent the potentially untoward side effects or complications of incorrect therapy.