RAS-Mutated Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules: Prevalence of Malignancy and Behavior Under Active Surveillance

Background: Genomic profiling is now available for risk stratification of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules (ITNs). Mutations in RAS genes (HRAS, NRAS, KRAS) are found in both benign and malignant thyroid nodules, although isolated RAS mutations are rarely associated with aggressive tumors. Because the long-term behavior of RAS-mutant ITNs is not well understood, most undergo immediate surgery. In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we characterize tumor growth kinetics of RAS-mutant ITNs followed with active surveillance (AS) using serial ultrasound (US) scans and examine the histopathologic diagnoses of those surgically resected. Methods: US and histopathologic data were analyzed retrospectively from two cohorts: (1) RAS-mutant ITNs managed with AS at three institutions (2010-2023) and (2) RAS-mutant ITNs managed with immediate surgery at two institutions (2016-2020). AS cohort subjects had ≥3 months of follow-up and two or more US scans. Cumulative incidence of nodule growth was determined by the Kaplan-Meier method and growth by ≥72% change in tumor volume. Pathological diagnoses for the immediate surgery cohort were analyzed separately. Results: Sixty-two patients with 63 RAS-mutated ITNs under AS had a median diameter of 1.7 cm (interquartile range [IQR] 1.2-2.6) at time of diagnosis. During a median AS period of 23 months (IQR 9.5-53.5 months), growth was observed in 12 of 63 nodules (19.0%), with a cumulative incidence of 1.9% (1 year), 23.0% (3 years), and 28.0% (5 years). Most nodules (81.0%) demonstrated stability. Surgery was ultimately performed in 6 nodules, of which 1 (16.7%) was malignant. In the cohort of 209 RAS-mutant ITNs triaged to immediate surgery, 33% were malignant (23.9% American Thyroid Association [ATA] low-risk cancers, 7.2% ATA intermediate-risk, and 1.9% ATA high-risk. During a median follow-up of 6.9 (IQR 4.4-7.1) years, there were no disease-specific deaths in these patients. Conclusions: We describe the behavior of RAS-mutant ITNs under AS and find that most demonstrate stability over time. Of the resected RAS-mutant nodules, most were benign; of the cancers, most were ATA low-risk. Immediate surgical resection of all RAS-mutant ITNs appears to be a low-value practice. Further research is needed to help define cases most appropriate for AS or immediate surgery.

Depth of invasion as an independent prognostic factor in early-stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma

PURPOSE

To determine the significance of depth of invasion as a predictor of recurrence and mortality in tongue and non-tongue early-stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with surgery and no postoperative radiotherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

344 patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma from 2005 to 2022 at a tertiary academic medical center were reviewed. Patients were included if they had newly diagnosed, previously untreated T1-T2N0 disease treated with surgery alone that was observed within a follow-up of 5 years. For each patient, anatomic site of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma was categorized as either tongue or non-tongue. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to determine the association of depth of invasion with recurrence and mortality, with anatomic site, smoking status, and age at biopsy as covariates. Model assumptions were tested by statistical and graphical evaluation using Schoenfeld residuals.

RESULTS

Of 108 patients with T1-T2N0 disease, 78 (72.2 %) had tongue disease, and 30 (27.8 %) had non-tongue disease. Median follow-up was 18.2 months (range, 0.01-58.2 months). In the Cox proportional hazards models, with adjustment for anatomic site and other covariates, depth of invasion positively predicted recurrence (HR 1.16, 95 % CI: 1.01-1.32, p = 0.034) and death (HR 1.42, 95 % CI: 1.11-1.83, p = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS

Depth of invasion is an independent predictor of recurrence and death across early-stage tongue and non-tongue squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, depth of invasion may indicate a need for more aggressive treatment than surgery alone, such as postoperative radiotherapy, even in the absence of other adverse features on pathology within the early-stage population.

Succinate dehydrogenase mutations in head and neck paragangliomas: A systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patients' data

BACKGROUND

Head and neck paragangliomas (HNPs) have been associated with gene mutations in the succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) complex, but the clinical significance remains unclear. We sought to explore the demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment methods, and outcomes of SDH-mutated HNPs.

METHODS

Databases were systematically searched. Pooled event ratio and relative 95% confidence intervals were calculated for dichotomous outcomes. Meta-regression was performed. Cochran's Q test and I2 test assessed heterogeneity. Funnel plot and Egger's regression test assessed publication bias.

RESULTS

Forty-two studies with 8849 patients were included. Meta-regression revealed a significant correlation between multifocality and SDHD mutations (0.03 ± 0.006, p < 0.0001) and between distant metastases and SDHB mutations (0.06 ± 0.023, p = 0.008). There was no correlation between sex, age, tumor size, or familial occurrences and SDH-related mutations.

CONCLUSION

Multifocality of HNPs correlates with the SDHD mutational subtype, and metastases correlate with the SDHB subtype. Knowledge of HNP phenotypes associated with SDH-related mutations has the potential to influence the management approach to such HNPs.

Clinical-genomic determinants of immune checkpoint blockade response in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUNDRecurrent and/or metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is generally an incurable disease, with patients experiencing median survival of under 10 months and significant morbidity. While immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) drugs are effective in approximately 20% of patients, the remaining experience limited clinical benefit and are exposed to potential adverse effects and financial costs. Clinically approved biomarkers, such as tumor mutational burden (TMB), have a modest predictive value in HNSCC.METHODSWe analyzed clinical and genomic features, generated using whole-exome sequencing, in 133 ICB-treated patients with R/M HNSCC, of whom 69 had virus-associated and 64 had non-virus-associated tumors.RESULTSHierarchical clustering of genomic data revealed 6 molecular subtypes characterized by a wide range of objective response rates and survival after ICB therapy. The prognostic importance of these 6 subtypes was validated in an external cohort. A random forest-based predictive model, using several clinical and genomic features, predicted progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and response with greater accuracy than did a model based on TMB alone. Recursive partitioning analysis identified 3 features (systemic inflammatory response index, TMB, and smoking signature) that classified patients into risk groups with accurate discrimination of PFS and OS.CONCLUSIONThese findings shed light on the immunogenomic characteristics of HNSCC tumors that drive differential responses to ICB and identify a clinical-genomic classifier that outperformed the current clinically approved biomarker of TMB. This validated predictive tool may help with clinical risk stratification in patients with R/M HNSCC for whom ICB is being considered.FUNDINGFundación Alfonso Martín Escudero, NIH R01 DE027738, US Department of Defense CA210784, The Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center, The MSKCC Population Science Research Program, the Jayme Flowers Fund, the Sebastian Nativo Fund, and the NIH/NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA008748.

Incidence of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in children undergoing elective otolaryngologic surgery throughout the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective

Children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are less clinically affected than adults, with most cases presenting as asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. However, true rates of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in children remain unclear. We sought to examine rates of SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic children and the role of children in transmission.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review of patients between 6 months and 17 years of age who underwent elective or semi-elective otolaryngologic surgery with physicians affiliated with Weill Cornell Medicine between May 15, 2020 and March 31, 2022. Patients were included if they received molecular assay testing for SARS-CoV-2 without SARS-CoV-2 symptoms within 5 days of scheduled surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection status, exposure, clinical symptoms, demographic data, and insurance status were recorded.

Results

1047 patients met inclusion criteria. Thirteen positive cases (1.24%) were identified in the study population. Six cases occurred between December 2021 and February 2022 following the classification of the omicron variant as a variant of concern in November 2021. Five of the 13 cases occurred in children under 2 years of age. Seven patients were male, and five were female. Residences spanned all five boroughs of New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Conclusion

Throughout the pandemic, children have had a low rate of asymptomatic disease and likely pose a low risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to the general population. Our results suggest that testing of asymptomatic children is a low-yield practice that is unlikely to influence rates of SARS-CoV-2 in the general population.

Level of Evidence

3.

The Effects of Chronic Steroid Use on Postoperative Complications Following Thyroidectomy

BACKGROUND

Patients undergoing thyroidectomy are sometimes on chronic steroids for underlying disease. This study examined the postoperative risk profile of thyroidectomy patients on chronic steroids.

METHODS

Patients in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database who underwent thyroidectomy were sorted by presence or absence of chronic steroid use. Clinicodemographics, comorbidities, and postoperative complications were recorded and compared between the two. Univariate and multivariate analyses compared the groups and calculated odds ratios (OR).

RESULTS

We identified 42,857 patients. 41,903 (97.8%) patients were not on chronic steroids, while 954 (2.2%) were. Most underwent total thyroidectomy (18,748, 43.75%) or total lobectomy (16,323, 38.09%). Following univariate and multivariate analyses, patients on chronic steroids had increased risk of postoperative bleeding and transfusions (OR = 0.375, p = 0.046, 95% CI 0.223-0.988), open wound infection (OR = 0.226, p < 0.001, 95% CI 0.117-0.437), pulmonary embolism (OR = 0.312, p = 0.034, 95% CI 0.106-0.918), and ventilator use > 48 h (OR = 0.401, p < 0.008, 95% CI 0.205-0.785).

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic steroid use prior to thyroidectomy is an independent risk factor for multiple postoperative complications, namely postoperative bleeding and transfusions, open wound infection, pulmonary embolism, and ventilator use over 48 h. Patients on chronic steroids should be medically optimized before thyroidectomy to reduce the risk of potentially life-threatening complications.

Comparison of US Cancer Center Recommendations for Prostate Cancer Screening With Evidence-Based Guidelines

This cross-sectional study examines prostate cancer recommendations among US cancer centers to identify differences from clinical practice guidelines.

Management of bowel dysfunction in the community after spinal cord injury: a postal survey in the Republic of Korea

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional postal survey.

OBJECTIVES

To describe defecation stimulation methods and their outcomes, and to investigate the impact of bowel dysfunction on the quality of life (QoL) in community-dwelling persons with spinal cord injury in South Korea.

SETTING

Community-based, Korea.

METHODS

A cross-sectional postal survey was conducted. Questionnaires were sent to 459 chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients who were registered as members of the Korean Spinal Cord Injury Association. Defecation stimulation methods and their outcomes, the impact of bowel dysfunction on the QoL were investigated.

RESULTS

A total of 388 subjects (44.5±10.8 year of age; men, 76.0%; duration of time since the onset of SCI, 14.2±9.5 years) responded. Bowel-related general, social and home QoL deterioration was found in >60%. Suppositories (Supp) were most frequently used, followed by digital rectal stimulation (DRS). The mini enema (ME), which is exclusively used in Korea, was utilized in 18.8%. A defecation time of 30 min was more frequently reported in patients who stimulated defecation with Supp than in those who used DRS.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of MEs and warm-water irrigations were newly identified in Korea. Bowel care-related factors that greatly deteriorate the QoL were fecal incontinence, time in one defecation >60 min, perianal skin problem, flatus incontinence and hemorrhoids. Alleviating these factors might help to improve the QoL. In particular, stimulation methods to reduce time for defecation might be recommended to persons with chronic SCI.

MRI of overuse injury in elite athletes

Overuse injuries are a common finding in elite athletes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the optimal method for the diagnosis of overuse injury in athletes of all levels. We present a review of common and important overuse injuries occurring in elite athletes. A systematic approach based on the functional anatomic units - tendons, bones and joints - may assist in diagnosis of these injuries.

Season of birth in schizophrenia: no latitude at the equator

BACKGROUND

If the established winter excess in births of people who subsequently develop schizophrenia is an effect of 'seasonality', this would be testable by examining the pattern of births in an equatorial region with no formal seasons.

AIMS

To investigate whether there is any variation in month of birth among patients from equatorial Singapore with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

METHOD

All 9655 patients discharged from Singapore's national psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were included (year of birth range 1930-1984). We analysed aggregated data, as well as the data of subsamples grouped according to birth-year periods, in order to examine secular trends. One patient subsample (those born 1960-84) allowed exact matching against the general population data set and close testing of any seasonal influence.

RESULTS

Monthly variation in births was evident for both patients and controls; the patterns were very similar, apart from the patient sample showing a trough in March-April.

CONCLUSIONS

In an equatorial region, where 'seasons' are absent, no seasonal excess in births of those later developing schizophrenia was evident.