• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.16-18
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• 2012

Ipsilateral tonsillectomy and panendoscopy-guided biopsy following imaging studies are considered a standard procedure in the search for a primary origin in patients with cervical metastatic carcinoma of unknown origin(MUO). However, many authors recommended bilateral tonsillectomy for the determination of the primary site of a MUO, because cervical metastasis may occur contralateral to tonsillar carcinoma. The authors attempted to address the clinical implications of using routine bilateral tonsillectomy to determine the primary site of MUOs based on a case report of cervical MUO that was finally diagnosed as a bilateral synchronous tonsillar carcinoma with cervical metastasis after a diagnostic work-up that included bilateral tonsillectomy.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.91-95
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• 2021

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of thyroid is a very rare malignant tumor with poor prognosis. It is usually diagnosed as an advanced disease infiltrating adjacent organs, and characterized by aggressive clinical course with an average postoperative survival time of less than 1 year. Recently, we had a 79- year-old woman with a painful neck mass who was diagnosed as primary squamous cell carcinoma of thyroid gland. She underwent total thyroidectomy and selective neck dissection(level III, VI) with no further postoperative managements such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy; she died of poor general condition and pneumonia resulting from rapid progression of the lesion on the 38^th day after surgery. We report this case with a review of relevant literatures.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.162-165
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• 1999

Background and Objectives: Multiple primary tumors of the upper aerodigestive tract are not unusual. We examined head and neck cancer patients to discover the presence of second primary cancer in their upper gastrointestinal tract, using esophagogastroscopy. Materials and Methods: Endoscopic examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract was performed on 51 patients whose head and neck cancers were treated at department of therapeutic radiology from August 1996 to April 1999. Two of all patients had been studied by barium swallowing study. In 51 patients, twenty-four had a primary tumor in the larynx, 8 in the oropharynx, 6 in the nasopharynx, 6 in the oral cavity, 6 in the hypopharynx, and 1 in the nasal cavity. Endoscopically pathologic lesions were biopsied. In control group, endoscopy was performed on 1097 patients who didn't complain any symptoms. Results: Endoscopy showed early malignant lesions in 4 cases(7.7%). Histology of esophageal cancers showed squamous cell carcinoma. Malignant lesions of stomach in 2 cases were histologically identified as adenocarcinoma. Two esophageal cancers occurred in patients whose primary lesions had oropharynx and hypopharynx. Two cases of gastric cancer were also accompanied by oropharynx and hypopharynx. The incidence of second primary cancer was 2 in oropharynx and 2 in hypopharynx. In all cases, second primary cancers were found simultaneously. In control group, 9(0.8%) of 1097 patients were confirmed as early esophageal and gastric cancers. Conclusion: The majority of esophageal and gastric cancer detected by endoscopy were early stage in both head and neck cancer and control group. The incidence of esophageal and gastric cancer of head and neck cancer patients was 10 times as high as that of control group. Although followup period was short, all second primary cancers were detected simultaneously. We would recommend that endoscopic evaluation be included in the workup and followup of all patients with newly diagnosed head and neck cancer.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.39-42
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• 2017

Tuberculosis is primarily a pulmonary disease and extrapulmonary involvement of the oral cavity is an infrequent occurrence accounting for 0.2 - 1.5% of all extrapulmonary sites. The authors report a case of primary tuberculosis of the oral tongue in a 60-years-old male patient who visited the clinic for ongoing tongue pain that he experienced for several months. The lesion was initially indistinguishable from the malignancy, but differential diagnosis was performed on the biopsy with Ziehl-Neelseen stain. After treatment with anti-tuberculosis, the oral lesion healed completely without surgery.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.23-26
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• 2024

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas comprise 7.6% of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) and they are recently recognized B-cell subset of NHLs. They are originated from gastrointestinal tract most frequently but may also occur in other organs including head and neck, lung, skin, thyroid and breast. Primary thyroid lymphomas (PTLs) constitute up to 5% of all thyroid malignancies. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is most common type of PTLs and MALT lymphoma is relatively rare subtype of PTLs. Thyroid MALToma arises in chronic inflammatory conditions with autoimmune or infectious etiologies. The optimal treatment regimen still remains controversial. However, It is reported that localized thyroid MALT lymphoma has excellent survival rate after surgical resection alone. We report a case of 48-years-old woman with primary thyroid MALToma.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.240-242
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• 2010

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland is a very rare event, representing much less than 1% of all malignant tumors of the thyroid gland. The cancer is characterized by rapidly progressive clinical course in spite of its differentiated morphologic features. In most cases, a squamous epithelium is believed to be a result of metaplasia of a follicular epithelium, although in rare exceptions, it can originate from a remnant of the thyroglossal duct or ultimobranchial body. Squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland can occur in a pure form or mixed with adenocarcinoma. Because their clinical behavior is more aggressive than that of other malignant neoplasm of thyroid gland, the tumor should be treated more vigorously at its initial stage. Recently, authors experienced one case of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland. We report our case with a brief review of literature.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 1992

The causes of treatment failure in head and neck cancer are locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis and second primary cancer. The favorite sites of second primary cancer are head and neck, lung and esophagus. But, the incidence of stomach cancer in Korea is the highest of all, high incidence of stomach cancer is expected in head and neck cancer patients. We experienced 2 cases of stomach cancer after successful treatment of primary head and neck cancer at Kang Nam St. Mary's hospital. The first case was a 60-year-old male with nasopharyngeal non-keratinizing carcinoma(stage III, T1N1M0). He received three cycles of induction chemotherapy including cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil followed by radiotherapy which resulted in complete response. Five months after completion of radiotherapy. stomach adenocarcinoma(stage IV, T4N2M1) was diagnosed. He received one cycle of FAM chemotherapy and died 4 months after diagnosis of stomach cancer. The second case was a 50-year-old male with pyriform sinus squamous cell carcinoma(stage II, T2N0M0). He received curative partial pharyngolaryngectomy followed by radiotherapy which result in free of disease. Four months after completion of radiotherapy. stomach adenocarcinoma(stage IV, T4N2M1) was diagnosed. Bypass gastrojejunostomy was performed. The screening test for stomach cancer including upper gastrointestinal X-xay series and/or endoscope of the stomach should be performed periodically for the patients with head and neck cancer in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2023

Head louse infestation is a significant public health problem across the world, particularly among preschool and primary schoolchildren. This study investigated the trends of head louse infestation in the Republic of Korea over a 9-year period (2011-2019), targeting primary schoolchildren in 3 areas of Seoul, 4 other large cities, and 9 provinces. A survey was administered annually by the health staff of each regional office (n= 16) of the Korea Association of Health Promotion (KAHP). The branch offices of KAHP examined a total of 51,508 primary schoolchildren, comprising 26,532 boys and 24,976 girls. Over the 9-year survey, a total of 1,107 (2.1%) schoolchildren tested positive for adults and/or nits of Pediculus humanus capitis. The prevalence was 2.8% (133/4,727) in 2011-2012 and gradually decreased to 0.8% (49/6,461) in 2019 (P< 0.05). Head lice were found more frequently in girls (3.0%; 746/24,976) than in boys (1.4%; 361/26,532) (P< 0.05). In terms of geographic localities, the highest infestation rate, 4.7% (average prevalence over 9 years), was observed in southern Seoul (Gangnam branch of KAHP), whereas the lowest infestation rate, 0.7%, was seen in Gyeongsang (north and south provinces) and western Seoul. Although the prevalence decreased significantly during the 9-year period, head louse infestation remains a health and hygiene issue among primary schoolchildren in the Republic of Korea. Regular surveys along with health education are needed to further improve children's hair hygiene.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.239-242
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• 1999

Spindle cell carcinomas of the head and neck are unusual neoplasms that are histologically biphasic, having both squamous cell carcinoma and apparently malignant spindle cell or sarcomatous element. Controversy about the histogenesis of these tumors has resulted in various terminology ; sarcomatoid carcinoma, pseudosarcoma, carcinosarcoma, and spindle cell carcinoma. The clinical course and natural history of these tumors are also variable. We report a case of 64-year-old male who complained of a neck mass. The patient was treated with extended radical neck dissection and postoperative radiotherapy, but the primary site of spindle cell carcinoma could not be found. We reviewed the clinical course, treatment, prognosis, and histogenesis of spindle cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2023

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), formerly known as Wegener's granulomatosis, is a rare immunological small vessel disease which usually affects respiratory tract and kidneys. However, salivary gland involvement in GPA is rare as a primary manifestation. We report a case of GPA with the primary presentation of submandibular gland involvement. A 48-year-old female patient presented submandibular swelling with a skin defect that lasted for 1 month. Although the biopsy result was chronic inflammation, the skin defect did not heal for a month. Further imaging study revealed multiple lung and renal masses. More clinical manifestations such as gingivitis, ischemic change of finger joint and nasal tip skin, and positive c-ANCA test was presented. Additional biopsy was made at the submandibular gland, lung, and finger skin. The patient was finally diagnosed with GPA and treated with steroid pulse therapy and cyclophosphamide. The patient showed improvement of prior clinical symptoms.