Neuroimaging clinics of North America
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Feb 2013
ReviewPitfalls in the staging of cancer of oral cavity cancer.
Oral cavity cancer comprises nearly 30% of all malignant tumors of the head and neck. After a definitive diagnosis has been made, imaging is essential for staging the primary tumor by evaluating submucosal spread and invasion of adjacent structures, and to identify nodal or distant metastasis. ⋯ Therefore, knowledge of anatomic subsites and spread patterns is critical for accurate staging. This article begins with a discussion of imaging techniques, and then presents a detailed review of normal anatomy followed by imaging's role in tumor staging highlighting potential pitfalls.
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Feb 2013
ReviewPitfalls in the staging of cancer of the laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
Laryngeal carcinoma is a devastating malignancy that severely affects patients' quality of life, with compromise of ability to talk, breathe, and swallow. Accurate tumor staging is imperative, because treatment plans focus on laryngeal conservation therapy whenever possible. Although the mucosal extent of tumor and vocal cord mobility is best assessed with endoscopic evaluation, cross-sectional imaging is essential for accurate T-staging, because only cross-sectional imaging can assess the submucosal extent of the tumor, cartilage invasion, and extralaryngeal spread. This article reviews topics crucial for interpreting imaging studies of patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Feb 2013
ReviewPitfalls in the staging of cancer of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Although nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common primary malignancy of the nasopharynx, it is an uncommon malignancy in much of the Western world. Over the last several years, there have been important changes in the terminology used for histologic classification of NPC and important changes to the American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM staging of NPC. Accurate imaging assessment is critical for diagnose, to stage and plan radiation treatment, and for ongoing follow-up and surveillance. This article emphasizes important nasopharyngeal anatomy landmarks and the imaging appearances and pitfalls of NPC, its patterns of spread, and posttreatment appearances.
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Feb 2013
ReviewPitfalls in the staging of cancer of the major salivary gland neoplasms.
The major salivary glands consist of the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. Most neoplasms in other subsites in the head and neck are squamous cell carcinoma, but tumors of the salivary glands may be benign or malignant. ⋯ The role of imaging is to attempt to determine histology, predict likelihood of a lesion being malignant, and report an imaging stage. This article reviews the various histologies, imaging features, and staging of major salivary gland neoplasms.
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Lymph nodes status is an important predictor of prognosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, making accurate staging critical. The physical examination of the neck is highly inaccurate. ⋯ US features help differentiate benign from malignant nodes, aided by US-guided fine-needle aspiration for indeterminate cases. PET-CT is useful for staging the lymph nodes and detection of distant metastasis.