Human Papillomavirus-Related Carcinomas of the Sinonasal Tract

Purpose of review

The sinonasal tract is home to a uniquely heterogenous collection of malignant tumors. Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been detected in a number of these, but the virus' role as an oncogenic driver or coincidental finding remains unclear. We aim to highlight five sinonasal tumor types and synthesize the prevalence, etiologic role, and known clinicopathologic relevance of HPV in each.

Recent findings

The last decade has seen an expansion of investigation into HPV's oncogenic and prognostic significance within sinonasal malignancies. The sinonasal tract poses challenges to HPV detection where p16 lacks value as an accurate surrogate. A growing body of data supports a potentially favorable clinical profile for certain sinonasal HPV-positive lesions.

Summary

HPV represents a potential biologically and clinically relevant factor for some sinonasal malignancies. Definitive conclusions regarding HPV's role as a potential oncogenic agent require routine testing using validated methodologies, genomic interrogation, and large-scale prospective studies.

Combinatorial Natural Killer Cell-based Immunotherapy Approaches Selectively Target Chordoma Cancer Stem Cells

Chordoma is a rare tumor derived from notochord remnants that has a propensity to recur and metastasize despite conventional multimodal treatment. Cancer stem cells (CSC) are implicated in chordoma's resistant and recurrent behavior; thus strategies that target CSCs are of particular interest. Using in vitro cytotoxicity models, we demonstrated that anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (N-601) and anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (cetuximab) antibodies enhanced lysis of chordoma cells by healthy donor and chordoma patient NK cells through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Treatment of NK cells with an IL-15 superagonist complex (N-803) increased their cytotoxicity against chordoma cells, which was further enhanced by treatment with N-601 and/or cetuximab. PD-L1-targeted chimeric antigen receptor NK cells (PD-L1 t-haNKs) were also effective against chordoma cells. CSCs were preferentially vulnerable to NK cell killing in the presence of N-601 and N-803. Flow cytometric analysis of a chordoma CSC population showed that CSCs expressed significantly more NK activating ligand B7-H6 and PD-L1 than non-CSCs, thus explaining a potential mechanism of selective targeting. These data suggest that chordoma may be effectively targeted by combinatorial NK cell-mediated immunotherapeutic approaches and that the efficacy of these approaches in chordoma and other CSC-driven tumor types should be investigated further in clinical studies.

Postoperative Pain Management and Perceived Patient Outcomes following Endoscopic Pituitary Surgery

Objectives Pain management remains a point of emphasis given the ongoing opioid crisis. There are no studies in the literature interrogating opioid prescribing and use following endoscopic pituitary surgery. This study investigates provider prescribing tendency, patient utilization of analgesics, and patient outcomes regarding pain management after endoscopic pituitary surgery.

Methods We identified 100 patients undergoing endoscopic pituitary surgery at one institution from 2016 to 2018 in the electronic medical record (EMR) and state narcotic database to determine postoperative analgesic regimens. A telephone survey was used to characterize postoperative analgesic use and satisfaction with prescribed regimen.

Results Fifty-two different pain control regimens were prescribed to the study patients. Also, 93% of study patients were prescribed an opioid postoperatively. The average quantity of opioids prescribed per patient in morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) was 625 (equivalent 83 oxycodone 5-mg tablets) with an average MME/day of 59 (equivalent 8 oxycodone 5-mg tablets). A total of 71% survey respondents who used opioids reported using <25% of their prescription. The majority of prescription narcotic users consumed >50% of their postoperative opioid intake in the first 24 to 48 hours after discharge. There were no significant differences in pain outcome between opioid users and nonopioid users.

Conclusion Vast heterogeneity exists in narcotic prescribing by providers at our institution following endoscopic pituitary surgery. Narcotic prescribing patterns exceeded most patients' analgesic needs. Opioid analgesics were not superior to nonopioids regimens in patient-reported pain outcomes in this study population.