[in Japanese]

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Small oropharyngeal carcinomas with advanced neck metastases (stage N2 or greater) are common. Patients with small T with large N oropharyngeal carcinoma have high rates of local control but lower rates of regional control when treated with chemoradiotherapy. Clinical assessment after chemoradiotherapy cannot ensure the absence of neck disease. In the last 5 years, we have treated patients with T1-2 with N2-3 oropharyngeal carcinoma with weekly docetaxel radiotherapy followed by planned neck dissection (PND). Our objectives were to clarify the pathologically complete response (CR) rate of neck metastasis after weekly docetaxel radiotherapy, to identify the clinical predictor of residual neck disease, and to determine the mobidity of planned neck dissection. After chemoradiotherapy, all 12 patients had a complete response at the primary site. We conducted 15 neck dissections. Of these, 6 (40%) had positive nodes. The pathological CR rate of neck metastasis was 58.3%, whereas overall 2-year neck control rate was 91.7%. These findings lend support to the role of PND after chemoradiotherapy in N2-3 neck disease. After chemoradiotherapy, clinical parameters including TN status, feasibility of chemoradiotherapy, largest lymph node size or size reduction in MRI, did not identify patients with residual neck disease. We conducted selective neck dissection (SND) in 80% of patients. SND as PND appears to be appropriate in this group of patients because of the low incidence of complications. A further cohort study including the comparison of PND nonenforcement group is necessary to clarify the validity of the addition of PND in weekly docetaxel radiotherapy.

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We reviewed the records of 10 patients with malignant skin tumors of the forehead and face who underwent neck lymph node dissection at Kurume University Hospital between 2000 and 2004. Two patients underwent selective neck dissection (SND), 5 patients underwent SND and superficial parotidectomy (SP) and 3 patients underwent modified radical neck dissection and SP. Lymph node metastasis to the upper jugular group was found in 3 patients, and metastasis to lymph nodes of the parotid region was found in 3 patients. In a patient with malignant melanoma of the forehead, the patent blue dye was injected intradermally around the tumor and blue-stained lymph nodes were identified in the upper jugular group and parotid region. From these results, we consider that the sentinel lymph nodes of frontal and facial malignant tumors are located in the upper jugular group and parotid region. Thus, in malignant skin tumor patients, SND and SP might be mandatory.

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We report the case of a 57-year-old woman with Wegener's granulomatosis who presented with otitis media. The patient presented with a 2-month history of bilateral hearing loss and dizziness. Antibiotic treatment was not effective, and the patient was confirmed to have bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Serum was positive for cytoplasmic anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody [C(PR3)-ANCA] but negative for P(MPO)-ANCA (perinuclear ANCA). While the test results were pending, the patients' general condition worsened ; in particular, signs of active inflammation, cardiorespiratory failure and scleritis developed suddenly. Emergency chest computed tomography revealed evidence of lung involvement and hydrothorax ; thus, the patient was diagnosed to have the generalized form of Wegener's granulomatosis. The patient was started on pulse methylprednisolone therapy at 1000mg/day for 3 days, which resulted in marked clinical improvement, and then, the drug therapy was switched to prednisolone 60mg/day and cyclophosphamide 50mg/day and gradually tapered.
Early diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis is often difficult because of atypical manifestations of the disease ; particular attention must be paid to acute onset of the disease, such as in our case. ANCA is a very useful marker for early diagnosis, but about one week is needed to obtain the test results. We believe that early steroid and cyclophosphamide therapy is an effective therapeutic option for patients with signs of severe inflammation and generalized involvement.

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