IMRT Dosing Strategy Eases Dysphagia in Head and Neck Cancer
In patients with head and neck cancer, a strategy to reduce the radiation dose to dysphagia-and aspiration-related structures improved swallowing and other functional outcomes compared with standard intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), according to results from the phase III DARS trial. Patients treated with dysphagia-optimized (DO) IMRT had significantly higher patient-reported composite scores on the MD Anderson […]
Jazz Musician With Slowly Expanding Neck Mass Causing Dysphagia
What caused a 55-year-old jazz musician to develop a neck mass that has been slowly expanding over the past 2 years? The patient presented to the hospital after having increasing difficulty swallowing solid food and problems with breathing at night, according to a diagnostic puzzle detailed by Tom Thomas, MD, MPH, of Morristown Memorial Hospital […]
Longer Ischemia Time Not Tied to Higher Complication Rate in Free-Tissue Transfer
DALLAS – Prolonged ischemic time for free-tissue transfer in head and neck (H&N) reconstruction was not linked with intraoperative or postoperative complications, a researcher reported here. Among patients in the quartile of fastest times — a mean of 104 minutes of ischemic time in the free flap surgery — the postop complication rate was 21.3%, […]
Medicine Doesn’t Stop at the Bedside
In June 2021, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) issued a statement recommending the prohibition of neck restraints in law enforcement. Around the same time, the American Medical Association (AMA) issued a statement denouncing the pseudoscientific and racist concept of “excited delirium” and categorized racism as a threat to public health. In 2018, the American […]