The reported incidence of metastatic disease in head and neck cancer is increasing. The most common site of metastatic involvement in squamous carcinoma of the head and neck is the lung followed by liver, mediastinal nodes and bone. The breast is rarely infiltrated by metastatic disease, 2 per cent or less of clinically detected breast lumps being of nonmammary origin, most frequently malignant melanoma, lymphoma/leukaemia and primary lung carcinoma.

A 73-year-old female presented with a primary posterior pharyngeal wall squamous carcinoma and bilateral enlarged neck nodes. She developed an isolated breast metastasis while receiving palliative radiotherapy and died seven months after presentation.

Clinically detected breast metastasis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma was first documented by Toombs and Kalisher in 1977. This is the first report of such a case originating in the posterior pharyngeal wall. The prognosis is invariably poor.

Neuroendocrine carcinomas are rare neoplasms of the larynx and hypopharynx. Tumours composed of both neuroendocrine and Squamous cell elements are very rare. We report a case of a primary hypopharyngeal carcinoma composed of both squamous cell and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and discuss the treatment of this patient and management of neuroendocrine carcinomas of the larynx and hypopharynx.

A fractured tracheostomy tube is a rare complication; cases have been reported in the past, usually associated with prolonged usage in patients with chronic airway obstruction. We present here a fracture occurring in a new tube, and also describe a method for retrieving the tube from the tracheobronchial tree.

Acinous cell tumours of the larynx and trachea are extremely rare. A recent review of the literature has only found four reported cases. This short report describes such a patient and discusses her management in the light of previous articles. In view of its rarity in the laryngotracheal area and the uncertainty in the way in which the tumour should be managed, we thought the following case report and review of the literature would be of interest.

A case of spontaneous pneumomediastinum, with symptoms restricted to the neck is presented. The clinical details and complications are described.

Penetrating injuries of the neck are a cause of retropharyngeal abscess. Should a foreign body become lodged in the retropharyngeal tissues its removal may avoid this complication, but surgery can in itself be hazardous. Between 10 and 15 per cent of cases of retropharyngeal cellulitis resulting from whatever cause do not progress to abscess formation if treated conservatively. Consequently, it is important to have evidence of abscess formation before surgery is undertaken, as illustrated by this paper in the form of a case report and a review of the current literature.

A case of a mycotic aneurysm of the petrous portion of the internal carotid artery is presented. This entity is extremely rare and the problems associated with the diagnosis and clinical management are discussed.