scholarly journals Head and Neck Lymphedema: Treatment Response to Single and Multiple Sessions of Advanced Pneumatic Compression Therapy

2019 ◽  
Vol 160 (4) ◽  
pp. 622-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Gutierrez ◽  
Ron J. Karni ◽  
Syed Naqvi ◽  
Melissa B. Aldrich ◽  
Banghe Zhu ◽  
...  

Ten head and neck cancer survivors diagnosed with head and neck lymphedema (HNL) were imaged using near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging (NIRFLI) prior to and immediately after an initial advance pneumatic compression device treatment and again after 2 weeks of daily at-home use. Images assessed the impact of pneumatic compression therapy on lymphatic drainage. Facial composite measurement scores assessed reduction/increase in external swelling, and survey results were obtained. After a single pneumatic compression treatment, NIRFLI showed enhanced lymphatic uptake and drainage in all subjects. After 2 weeks of daily treatment, areas of dermal backflow disappeared or were reduced in 6 of 8 subjects presenting with backflow. In general, reductions in facial composite measurement scores tracked with reductions in backflow and subject-reported improvements; however, studies are needed to determine whether longer treatment durations can be impactful and whether advanced pneumatic compression can be used to ameliorate backflow characteristic of HNL.

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (02) ◽  
pp. 1650049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa B. Aldrich ◽  
Deborah Gross ◽  
John Rodney Morrow ◽  
Caroline E. Fife ◽  
John C. Rasmussen

Previous studies have shown cost effectiveness and quality-of-life benefit of pneumatic compression therapy (PCT) for lymphedema (LE). Insurers, such as the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid (CMS), however, desire visual proof that PCT moves lymph. Near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging (NIRFLI) was used to visualize lymphatic anatomy and function in four subjects with primary and cancer treatment-related LE of the lower extremities before, during, and after PCT. Optically transparent and windowed PCT garments allowed visualization of lymph movement during single, 1[Formula: see text]h PCT treatment sessions. Visualization revealed significant extravascular and lymphatic vascular movement of intradermally injected dye in all subjects. In one subject with sufficient patent lymphatic vessels to allow quantification of lymph pumping velocities and frequencies, these values were significantly increased during and after PCT as compared to pre-treatment values. Lymphatic contractile activity in patent lymphatic vessels occurred in concert with the sequential cycling of PCT. Direct visualization revealed increased lymphatic function, during and after PCT therapy, in all LE-affected extremities. Further studies are warranted to assess the effects of PCT pressure and sequences on lymph uptake and movement.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Nishio ◽  
Nynke S. van den Berg ◽  
Stan van Keulen ◽  
Brock A. Martin ◽  
Shayan Fakurnejad ◽  
...  

Abstract Identification of lymph node (LN) metastasis is essential for staging of solid tumors, and as a result, surgeons focus on harvesting significant numbers of LNs during ablative procedures for pathological evaluation. Isolating those LNs most likely to harbor metastatic disease can allow for a more rigorous evaluation of fewer LNs. Here we evaluate the impact of a systemically injected, near-infrared fluorescently-labeled, tumor-targeting contrast agent, panitumumab-IRDye800CW, to facilitate the identification of metastatic LNs in the ex vivo setting for head and neck cancer patients. Molecular imaging demonstrates a significantly higher mean fluorescence signal in metastatic LNs compared to benign LNs in head and neck cancer patients undergoing an elective neck dissection. Molecular imaging to preselect at-risk LNs may thus allow a more rigorous examination of LNs and subsequently lead to improved prognostication than regular neck dissection.


Nanophotonics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mina Guirguis ◽  
Chanda Bhandari ◽  
Junjie Li ◽  
Menitte Eroy ◽  
Sushant Prajapati ◽  
...  

Abstract Near-infrared (NIR)-activable liposomes containing photosensitizer (PS)-lipid conjugates are emerging as tunable, high-payload, and tumor-selective platforms for photodynamic therapy (PDT)-based theranostics. To date, the impact that the membrane composition of a NIR-activable liposome (the chemical nature and subsequent conformation of PS-lipid conjugates) has on their in vitro and in vivo functionality has not been fully investigated. While their chemical nature is critical, the resultant physical conformation dictates their interactions with the immediate biological environments. Here, we evaluate NIR-activable liposomes containing lipid conjugates of the clinically-used PSs benzoporphyrin derivative (BPD; hydrophobic, membrane-inserting conformation) or IRDye 700DX (hydrophilic, membrane-protruding conformation) and demonstrate that membrane composition is critical for their function as tumor-selective PDT-based platforms. The PS-lipid conformations were primarily dictated by the varying solubilities of the two PSs and assisted by their lipid conjugation sites. Conformation was further validated by photophysical analysis and computational predictions of PS membrane partitioning (topological polar surface area [tPSA], calculated octanol/water partition [cLogP], and apparent biomembrane permeability coefficient [Papp]). Results show that the membrane-protruding lipo-IRDye700DX exhibits 5-fold more efficient photodynamic generation of reactive molecular species (RMS), 12-fold expedited phototriggered burst release of entrap-ped agents, and 15-fold brighter fluorescence intensity as compared to the membrane-inserting lipo-BPD-PC (phosphatidylcholine conjugate). Although the membrane-inserting lipo-BPD-PC exhibits less efficient photo-dynamic generation of RMS, it allows for more sustained phototriggered release, 10-fold greater FaDu cancer cell phototoxicity, and 7.16-fold higher tumor-selective delivery in orthotopic mouse FaDu head and neck tumors. These critical insights pave the path for the rational design of emerging NIR-activable liposomes, whereby functional consequences of membrane composition can be tailored toward a specific therapeutic purpose.


Author(s):  
Pietro De Luca ◽  
Antonella Bisogno ◽  
Vito Colacurcio ◽  
Pasquale Marra ◽  
Claudia Cassandro ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Since the spreading of SARS-CoV-2 from China, all deferrable medical activities have been suspended, to redirect resources for the management of COVID patients. The goal of this retrospective study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on head and neck cancers’ diagnosis in our Academic Hospital. Methods A retrospective analysis of patients treated for head and neck cancers between March 12 and November 1, 2020 was carried out, and we compared these data with the diagnoses of the same periods of the 5 previous years. Results 47 patients were included in this study. We observed a significative reduction in comparison with the same period of the previous 5 years. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a decrease in the number of new H&N cancers diagnoses, and a substantial diagnostic delay can be attributable to COVID-19 control measures.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3826
Author(s):  
Oumar Billa ◽  
Franck Bonnetain ◽  
Jérôme Chamois ◽  
Angeline Ligey ◽  
Valérie Ganansia ◽  
...  

The impact of routine assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) on satisfaction with care and the HRQoL of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) treated with radiotherapy was assessed. Patients with HNC were randomly assigned to two arms, with stratification on sex, cancer localization, and stage of the disease. In the intervention arm, the patients completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires first before randomization, then before each medical appointment during radiotherapy (7 weeks), and then every 3 months until 1 year and at 2 years thereafter. In the control arm, the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires were completed before randomization and at 1 year and 2 years thereafter. The primary endpoint was mean change in HRQoL at score at 2 years from baseline assessed by EQ VAS from the EuroQol questionnaire. The secondary endpoint was mean change in satisfaction with care at 2 years from baseline assessed by QLQ-SAT32. Two hundred patients with head and neck cancers were involved in this study (mean age, 58.83 years (range, 36.56–87.89)), of whom 100 were assigned to the intervention arm and 100 to the control arm. Patients in the intervention arm were reported to have a statistically significant increase in EQ VAS at 2 years (p < 0.0001) and exceeded the minimal clinically important difference (mean change at 2 years from baseline = 10.46). In the two arms, mean differences between arms were not statistically significant, but minimal clinically important differences in favor of the intervention arm were found for EQ VAS (mean change difference (MD) = 5.84), satisfaction with care, in particular waiting times (MD = 10.85) and satisfaction with accessibility (MD = 6.52). Routine assessment of HRQoL improves HRQoL and satisfaction with care for patients with HNC treated with radiotherapy.


Author(s):  
N Bhamra ◽  
B Gorman ◽  
W Arnold ◽  
A Rajah ◽  
K Jolly ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Nuno M. M. Ramos ◽  
Joana Maia ◽  
Andrea R. Souza ◽  
Ricardo M. S. F. Almeida ◽  
Luís Silva

Near-infrared (NIR) reflective materials are being developed for mitigating building cooling needs. Their use contributes to broadening the range of colours, responding to the urban aesthetic demand without compromising the building performance. Despite the increase in NIR reflective pigments investigation, there is still a knowledge gap in their applicability, impact, and durability in multilayer finishing coatings of External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS). Hence, the main goal of this work consists of evaluating the impact of incorporating NIR reflective pigments (NRP) in the solar reflectance of the surface layer of ETICS, without affecting the colour perception, as well as their influence on the colour durability and surface temperature. As such, colour, solar reflectance, and surface temperature were monitored for 2 years in dark-coloured specimens of ETICS, with and without NRP and a primer layer. It was confirmed that the main contribution of NRP is the increase of solar reflectance and, consequently, the decrease in surface temperature, especially for high exterior temperatures (around 30 ºC). Moreover, these pigments highly increase the NIR reflectance without affecting the visible colour. In addition, they contribute to maintaining the colour characteristics. The application of primer increased the surface temperature, especially for higher exterior temperatures. However, it contributes to a lower colour difference and solar reflectance variation, which is an important achievement for durability purposes.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 832
Author(s):  
Julius M. Vahl ◽  
Marlene C. Wigand ◽  
Michael Denkinger ◽  
Dhayana Dallmeier ◽  
Chiara Steiger ◽  
...  

Background: The impact of demographic change on the age at diagnosis in German head and neck cancer (HNC) patients is unclear. Here we present an evaluation of aging trends in HNC at a tertiary referral center. Methods: Retrospective cohort study on aging trends at the initial diagnosis of newly diagnosed patients with HNC between 2004 and 2018 at the head and neck cancer center Ulm in relation to demographic data of the catchment area. Results: The study population consisted of 2450 individuals diagnosed with HNC with a mean age of 62.84 (±11.67) years. We observed a significant increase in annual incidence rates and mean age over time. Mean age among HNC patients increased significantly more than among the population in the catchment area. Whereas the incidence rate of patients <50 years did not change, the incidence of HNC patients aged ≥70 years increased the most. The mean patient age in the main tumor sites increased significantly. Surprisingly, HPV-positive patients were not younger than HPV-negative patients, but showed a non-significant trend towards a higher mean age (63.0 vs. 60.7 years). Conclusions: Increasing incidence rates in older patients pose a challenge for health care systems. A nationwide study is needed to assess the dynamics and impact of aging on the incidence of HNC.


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