ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Otolaryngology Experts Review Innovations in Head, Neck Treatment

by Tom Collins • April 5, 2015

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

A point of care aimed at identifying children at risk for drug-induced hering loss before they are treated with gentamicin, in which genotyping of mitochondrial DNA can be performed in approximately 20 minutes, was developed for the neonatal intensive care unit. But that plan was quashed because, in the NICU, you can introduce candida infections if you switch to the broad spectrum antibiotic cephalosporin. The infection then runs rampant, causing more morbidity than the gentamicin-related hearing loss. “Sound medical practices trump cool molecular diagnostics every time,” Dr. Choo said.

You Might Also Like

  • Experts Discuss HPV-Positive Head and Neck Cancer
  • Clinicians Question Usefulness of Multiple Post-Treatment PET/CT Scans for Head and Neck Cancer
  • Survival for Advanced Head, Neck Cancer Improvements May Be Related to PET
  • Experts Offer Tips, Insights on Common Head and Neck Surgical Procedures
Explore This Issue
April 2015

HPV. Human papilloma virus (HPV) can be used as an indicator of prognosis in head and neck cancer in those with HPV-positive disease, but its use is limited, said Christine Gourin, MD, associate professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore. “HPV is a prognostic biomarker; it is not a therapeutic target,” she said. “We don’t treat people differently in 2015, who are HPV positive, outside of some clinical trials in progress that are designed to see if clinical care can maybe be deintensified.”

EGFR. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been thought to be overexpressed in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and associated with poorer prognosis, a “hot button marker that people built careers studying,” Dr. Gourin said. But targeting EGFR has been disappointing. “In fact,” she said, “EGFR targeting has not been associated with a response in head and neck cancer in multiple clinical trials, and it seems that resistance to these EGFR-targeted agents is the major problem.”

Findings from the Cancer Genome Atlas—an effort to more fully understand the molecular basis of cancer—show that EGFR is expressed in only a minority of patients with head and neck cancers, in contrast to published data that has indicated it is more common. “We think variability in detection methods can actually lead to overestimation of EGFR positivity,” Dr. Gourin said. She added that there are still ongoing clinical trials targeting the EGFR pathway.

PD-1 and PD-L1: Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is frequently expressed on tumors and induces immune tolerance to cancer, by reducing the activity of CD4 and CD8 cells expressing its receptor, programmed death-1 [PD-1]. Treatment with the anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab has produced good results in melanoma patients. “These are sustained responses,” Dr. Gourin said. “They’re really remarkable for melanoma.” The therapy is generating excitement among head and neck cancer clinicians, she said. “This is proving to be a therapeutic target,” Dr. Gourin said, “and shows the most promise that we’ve seen in a long time in our field.”

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Features, Head and Neck, Practice Focus Tagged With: carcinoma, head and neck, Triological Combined Sections MeetingIssue: April 2015

You Might Also Like:

  • Experts Discuss HPV-Positive Head and Neck Cancer
  • Clinicians Question Usefulness of Multiple Post-Treatment PET/CT Scans for Head and Neck Cancer
  • Survival for Advanced Head, Neck Cancer Improvements May Be Related to PET
  • Experts Offer Tips, Insights on Common Head and Neck Surgical Procedures

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Otolaryngologists Have a Major Role to Play in Treating COVID-19 Long-Haulers
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Podcasts Becoming More Popular Method of Education for Otolaryngologists
    • How to Embrace Optimism in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Tips on How to Approach Conversations with Patients about the COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Voice and Hearing During Telemedicine Sessions
    • Routine Postoperative Adjunct Treatments Unnecessary for Idiopathic Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Polls

Have you spoken with your patients about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.