Login Register Cart 0
Generic placeholder image

Clinical Cancer Drugs

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 2212-697X
ISSN (Online): 2212-6988

Back
Journal Home About Journal Editorial Board Journal Insight Current Issue Volumes/Issues
Subscribe
Case Report

Head and Neck Cancer with Lung Metastases: Treatment Challenges

Author(s): Selvamalar Vengathajalam* and Norhafiza Mat Lazim

Volume 6, Issue 1, 2019

Page: [48 - 53] Pages: 6

DOI: 10.2174/2212697X06666190701113911

Abstract

Background: Head and neck cancer has predilection of metastasising to the lung, bones or liver. The site of metastasis usually depends on the primary tumour location, the staging and the regional spread of the tumour. Patients with distant metastasis are predicted to have a poor prognosis with low survival rate. Oligometastasis is the term used for an intermediate biologic state of restricted metastatic capacity with limited number and sites of organ with metastasis. It is also defined by 5 or less than 5 metastatic lesion in a disease with a controlled primary tumour.

Case reports: In this case series, we have reported three cases of head and neck carcinomas that pose treatment dilemmas because of lung metastases. First case is a gentleman with laryngeal carcinoma with multiple small lung metastases where the treatment options of surgery versus chemoradiation was debated. The second case is a gentleman with low grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid gland with suspicious lung spread of disease. Lastly is a patient with papillary thyroid carcinoma with florid lung metastases who completed chemoradiation.

Conclusion: The presence of lung metastases does not necessarily mean that the prospect of surviving is poor for the patient. It is necessary to determine the best choice of treatment yielding the best quality of life to maximize the survival period for these patients.

Keywords: Head and neck cancer, Distant metastasis, oligometastasis, laryngeal carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Graphical Abstract

[1]
de Bree R, Deurloo EE, Snow GB, Leemans CR. Screening for distant metastases in patients with head and neck cancer. Laryngoscope 2000; 110(3 Pt 1): 397-401.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00005537-200003000-00012] [PMID: 10718426]
[2]
Gupta V, Demmy T. Lung metastases from head and neck cancer, diagnosis and management encyclopedia of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery. Springer 2013; pp. 1488-95.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23499-6_40]
[3]
Ferlito A, Shaha AR, Silver CE, Rinaldo A, Mondin V. Incidence and sites of distant metastases from head and neck cancer. ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec 2001; 63(4): 202-7.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000055740] [PMID: 11408812]
[4]
Calhoun KH, Fulmer P, Weiss R, Hokanson JA. Distant metastases from head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Laryngoscope 1994; 104(10): 1199-205.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1288/00005537-199410000-00003] [PMID: 7934588]
[5]
Schlumberger M, Tubiana M, De Vathaire F, et al. Long-term results of treatment of 283 patients with lung and bone metastases from differentiated thyroid carcinoma. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1986; 63(4): 960-7.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jcem-63-4-960] [PMID: 3745409]
[6]
Rendina EA, de Vincentiis M, Primerano G, Claudio Mineo T, Ricci C. Pulmonary resection for metastatic laryngeal carcinoma. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1986; 92(1): 114-7.
[PMID: 3724213]
[7]
Hellman S, Weichselbaum RR. Oligometastases. J Clin Oncol 1995; 13(1): 8-10.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/JCO.1995.13.1.8] [PMID: 7799047]
[8]
Handzel O, Halperin D. Necrotizing (malignant) external otitis. Am Fam Physician 2003; 68(2): 309-12.
[PMID: 12892351]
[9]
Palacios-Eito A, García-Cabezas S. Oligometastatic disease, the curative challenge in radiation oncology. World J Clin Oncol 2015; 6(4): 30-4.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.5306/wjco.v6.i4.30] [PMID: 26266098]
[10]
Pastorino U, Buyse M, Friedel G, et al. Long-term results of lung metastasectomy: Prognostic analyses based on 5206 cases. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1997; 113(1): 37-49.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5223(97)70397-0] [PMID: 9011700]
[11]
Finley RK III, Verazin GT, Driscoll DL, et al. Results of surgical resection of pulmonary metastases of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Am J Surg 1992; 164(6): 594-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9610(05)80714-7] [PMID: 1463106]
[12]
Shiono S, Kawamura M, Sato T, et al. Pulmonary metastasectomy for pulmonary metastases of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Ann Thorac Surg 2009; 88(3): 856-60.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2009.04.040] [PMID: 19699911]
[13]
Goode RK, Auclair PL, Ellis GL. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the major salivary glands: Clinical and histopathologic analysis of 234 cases with evaluation of grading criteria. Cancer 1998; 82(7): 1217-24.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0142(19980401)82:7<1217:AID-CNCR2>3.0.CO;2-C] [PMID: 9529011]
[14]
Schwentner I, Obrist P, Thumfart W, Sprinzl G. Distant metastasis of parotid gland tumors. Acta Otolaryngol 2006; 126(4): 340-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00016480500401035] [PMID: 16608783]
[15]
Bradley PJ. Distant metastases from salivary glands cancer. ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec 2001; 63(4): 233-42.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000055748] [PMID: 11408820]
[16]
Mazzaferri EL, Young RL. Papillary thyroid carcinoma: A 10 year follow-up report of the impact of therapy in 576 patients. Am J Med 1981; 70(3): 511-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0002-9343(81)90573-8] [PMID: 7211893]
[17]
Leboulleux S, Rubino C, Baudin E, et al. Prognostic factors for persistent or recurrent disease of papillary thyroid carcinoma with neck lymph node metastases and/or tumor extension beyond the thyroid capsule at initial diagnosis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2005; 90(10): 5723-9.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jc.2005-0285] [PMID: 16030160]
[18]
Massin JP, Savoie JC, Garnier H, Guiraudon G, Leger FA, Bacourt F. Pulmonary metastases in differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Study of 58 cases with implications for the primary tumor treatment. Cancer 1984; 53(4): 982-92.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/1097-0142(19840215)53:4<982:AID-CNCR2820530427>3.0.CO;2-E] [PMID: 6692296]

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
Article Metrics
21
2
1
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy