Key Points 1. Painless lymph node enlargement is the most common head and neck manifestation of lymphoma. 2. Hematologic malignancies can involve extranodal tissues of the sinuses, salivary glands, and thyroid. 3. “B” symptoms include fever, weight loss, and night…
Key Points 1. Proper selection of the surgical approach requires thorough evaluation to meet the surgical goals, while attempting to minimize injury to adjacent neurovascular structures. 2. A multidisciplinary team is helpful in the management of skull base tumors, including…
Key Points 1. Sinonasal tumors are rare and account for 3% of upper aerodigestive tract cancers. 2. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common sinonasal malignancy. 3. Occupational exposures are the main risk factors for sinonasal malignancies. Risk factors for…
Key Points 1. Most head and neck paragangliomas are nonfunctional, although suspected sympathetic symptoms (flushing, palpitations, sweating) should be evaluated thoroughly. 2. Treatment of head and neck paragangliomas involves observation, surgery, or radiotherapy depending on patient-specific factors, tumor growth rate,…
Key Points 1. The presence of cervical lymphadenopathy is a significant negative prognostic indicator in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. 2. Knowledge and identification of first echelon nodes for various primary head and neck tumor sites allows for selective…
Key Points 1. Thyroid cancer occurs in 5% to 10% of palpable nodules. 2. Most thyroid cancers are papillary thyroid cancer (70%–80%) and follicular thyroid cancer (15%–20%). 3. In medullary thyroid cancer, the age of surgery is determined by specific…
Key Points 1. It is important to know multiple ways to identify the facial nerve during parotidectomy. 2. Differentiate between infectious, inflammatory, granulomatous, autoimmune, and neoplastic processes based on history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and radiographic imaging. 3. Know the…
Key Points 1. The most affected subsite for laryngeal cancer is the glottis. 2. Smokers are approximately 20 times more likely than nonsmokers to develop laryngeal cancer. Smoking and alcohol intake are synergistic risk factors for the development of laryngeal…
Key Points 1. Despite their proximity, oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers can behave differently and thus are treated differently. 2. Premalignant lesions of the oral cavity warrant evaluation and follow-up. Biopsies of clinically different lesions show nonspecific dysplasia. 3. Pathologic…
Key Points 1. Skin cancer incidence Normal population: basal cell carcinoma > squamous cell carcinoma > melanoma > Merkel cell carcinoma Transplant population: squamous cell carcinoma > basal cell carcinoma > melanoma > Merkel cell carcinoma 2. Patients at higher risk for nonmelanoma skin cancer Fair-skinned with light eyes Previous history of…