Defects in the system controlling the cell cycle can lead to an increased proliferation of cancer cells. The aim of this study was to analyse the immunohistochemical expression of chosen cell cycle proteins (P16, cyclin D1 and retinoblastoma protein) and their connection with the clinical course of the disease in laryngeal squamous cell cancer (LSCC). Cancer tissue sections obtained from 58 patients after total laryngectomy served to determine the level of the proteins’ expression using immunohistochemical staining and commercial antibodies. A decreased level of P16 expression in 47 per cent, of retinoblastoma protein in 12 per cent and strong cyclin D1 expression in 48 per cent of cases was revealed. Our results show significant correlation between decreased P16 expression and increased tumour dedifferentiation. Overexpression of cyclin D1 was statistically more common in locally advanced tumours (T3–T4). Low expression of retinoblastoma protein was significantly correlated with both positive P16 immunostaining and with strong cyclin D1 expression. Our study confirms that dysfunction of cell cycle regulation is a common event and may play a significant role in the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx.

Sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid is an uncommon tumour with unusual modes of presentation. It can remain occult at the primary site, without producing any mass, masquerading as chronic blepharoconjunctivitis, while setting up metastases in the regional lymph nodesespecially in the pre-auricular group.

We report here a case that not only masqueraded as chronic blepharoconjunctivitis with nodal metastases from an ’unknown primary’ in the neck, but whose tumour spread in a pagetoid manner along the nasolacrimal duct producing a nasal tumour that was believed to be the ’unknown primary’.

This case emphasizes the need for ophthalmologists, ENT surgeons and pathologists to keep sebaceous carcinoma in mind while evaluating patients with chronic blepharoconjunctivitis and cervical node metastases from ’unknown primary’. Histological clues for picking up a sebaceous carcinoma at a metastatic site include a tumour with comedo or ductal growth pattern and intracytoplasmic lipid.

Until now, little was known about the mode of parotid involvement in external auditory canal (EAC) carcinoma. The incidence of parotid node metastasis and direct parotid invasion was examined in patients with EAC carcinoma. The study comprised 11 patients with squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 10 patients with adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC). A retrospective review of the surgical specimens was undertaken with specific reference to parotid node metastasis and parotid invasion. Parotid node metastasis was noted only in two cases of advanced staged SCC, whereas none of the ACC patients showed parotid node metastasis. Direct parotid invasion occurred only in advanced staged SCC,however, it did occur in early stage ACC. Our data indicated that elective parotidectomy for control of occult parotid node metastasis is necessary only in advanced SCC carcinoma, whereas parotid management to secure adequate safety margins is mandatory for advanced SCC and all cases of ACC.

This paper attempts to evaluate the clinical usefulness of CYFRA 21-1 as a serum tumour marker in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

The serum concentration of CYFRA 21-1 was measured utilizing a new electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (ECLIA) in 142 patients with HNSCC before and after treatment, 68 patients with benign tumours of the head and neck, and 50 healthy controls.

Serum levels of CYFRA 21-1 in patients with HNSCC were significantly higher than those of benign tumours and healthy controls (p < 0.001). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of CYFRA 21-1 for HNSCC were 62 per cent and 100 per cent, respectively. The positive rates of CYFRA 21-1 increased with progression of HNSCC, serum CYFRA 21-1 levels were related to the tumour stage expressed by primary tumour (T) and nodal status (N) (p < 0.001), but not related to patient age, gender, smoking and drinking habit, or histopathological grade (p > 0.05). Post-treatment levels of CYFRA 21-1 in HNSCC decreased significantly (p < 0.001). Among 38 patients with clinical or radiological evidence of a recurrence during follow-up, 78.9 per cent (30 of 38) showed an increase in CYFRA 21-1.

The analytical ECLIA performance for serum CYFRA 21-1 provides a new means of clinical assessment for HNSCC. The results of ECLIA suggest that the serum marker CYFRA 21-1 is valuable not only for diagnosis but also for close monitoring of patients with HNSCC.

Large excisions or Mohs’ micrographic surgery (MMS) are often the suggested treatments for non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) of the external ear. This five-year follow-up attempts to evaluate whether curettage-cryosurgery could be an alternative therapy for selected auricular NMSCs.

One hundred auricular NMSCs, selected at a skin tumour clinic, were treated by a thorough curettage, with different-sized curettes, followed by cryosurgery in a double freeze-thaw cycle. Seventy-seven basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), 13 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), six SCCs in situ, and four basosquamous carcinomas were included. The mean diameter of the tumours was 18 mm (range 5–70). Morphoeiform BCCs, recurrent BCCs with fibrotic component, and most of the SCCs were selected for MMS.

Seventy-one patients with 81 tumours were followed-up for at least five years with only one recurrence. Nineteen patients with 19 tumours, followed-up for two to four years, died from other causes with no sign of recurrence at their last visit. Patients followed-up for less than two years were excluded. No major problems were registered after treatment. The cosmetic result was good or acceptable in most patients.

In carefully selected patients a thorough curettage followed by freezing with liquid nitrogen in a double freeze-thaw cycle could be a safe and inexpensive therapy even for large NMSCs of the external ear.

The treatment of cervical lymph node metastases is an important part of the management of oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer. Metastases are already clinically present in 61 per cent (+ or −2.6 per cent) of patients at presentation. Previous studies concerning the prevalence and distribution of neck node metastases in oropharyngeal carcinoma have been retrospective, and little or no information is available about the histopathological methods used.

This study has prospectively analysed 85 neck dissection specimens in 72 consecutive patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, both with clinically N0 and N+ve necks, to identify the prevalence and distribution of cervical metastases. We have used a technique to separate the neck dissection into nodal levels per-operatively, and then embedded the entire specimen for histological examination to avoid missing metastatic disease in small lymph nodes (<3mm diameter).

The Bcl10 gene encodes a protein probably involved in some apoptotic regulatory pathways. Bcl10 mutations lead to the translation of truncated proteins that show gain-of-function transforming activity; it has been suggested thaBcl10 may represent a major target gene for inactivation in many human cancers. To define the frequency of Bcl10 mutations in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and their possible association with tumour progression, we investigated a large panel of tumours representative of all grades and stages of malignancy.

To detect pathogenic mutations in exons 1, 2 and 3 of the Bcl10 gene, we performed a silver-staining polymerase chain reaction – single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis followed by direct DNA sequencing. We revealed the presence of SSCP variants in 18 out of 91 laryngeal tumours. Direct DNA sequencing showed previously described polymorphisms but no pathogenic mutations. We have strong evidence that the Bcl10 gene is not involved in laryngeal carcinogenesis.

We present a case report of a lady with a laryngocele and a squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. The pathogenesis of the relationship between these two entities is discussed and the literature reviewed. This association means a carcinoma must be outruled if a laryngocele is detected clinically or radiologically.

‘Marjolin’s ulcer’ is a term that has come to be used for epidermal squamous cell carcinomas that have developed in areas of chronic inflammation. To our knowledge this is the first ever report of a Marjolin’s ulcer developing following long-term irritation of the skin of the neck. The history of the eponym is traced and reveals that Marjolin probably never actually described this pathological process.