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Background: Aberrations in Wnt signaling pathway are related to the pathogenesis of head and neck carcinomas and their activation frequently results from epigenetic alterations. This study aimed to assess the frequency of the methylation of DAB2, which acts as a negative regulator of Wnt signaling, and correlate it with clinicopathological features in a group of oral cancer patients., Material and Methods: Forty nine patients with primary oral squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled in the study. DNA samples were isolated from surgical sections using phenol-chloroform extraction. Methylation-specific PCR was used to detect gene promoter methylation., Results: The analysis of the occurrence of DAB2 promoter methylation in primary oral carcinomas indicated that the gene is methylated in 70% of cases. However, no correlation was found between its methylation and TNM staging or overall survival., Conclusions: Our findings corroborate that DAB2 is a frequent target of epigenetic silencing in oral carcinomas and may be potentially used for tumor detection., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: Unilateral sinus disease (USD) occurs in 23 % of all cases. It is believed that it is mainly associated with cancer development. Retrospective data from large rhinological centers show that the most common USD is chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), followed by mycosis, inverted papilloma and finally cancer, but only in a small percent of cases., The Aim of the Study: The analysis of USD in the group of patients who underwent FESS at the secondary referral center., Material and Method: The retrospective study of patients treated for USD in the Department of Otolaryngology in the Provincial Hospital in Poznan between June 2014 and June 2016. The analysis includes age, sex, the localization of lesions, histopathological and microbiological results, an extension of the surgery and treatment results., Results: Over the analyzed period of time, 415 FESS for chronic sinusitis were performed. In this group, 83 patients underwent surgery for USD. There were 35 women and 48 men.CRS was found in 48 cases, mycosis in nine cases, 12 patients were operated for non-malignant tumors, such as inverted papilloma (9), osteoma (2) and fibrosis tumor(1); seven patients had a choanal polyp and two of them had a foreign body in maxillary sinus - a tooth root lying loose. Four patients were diagnosed with a hypoplastic maxillary sinus and one patient suffered from frontal sinus pyocele. One side endoscopic opening of all sinuses was performed in the group with CRS, endoscopic medial maxillectomy was conducted in patients with inverted papilloma, and an isolated opening of the affected sinus was performed in the cases with mycosis., Conclusions: USD must be always suspected of malignant degeneration until proven otherwise. Endoscopic sinus surgery with the use of angled scope allows for the removal of even very extensive lesions. In our opinion, the extent of operation is determined by the nature of pathology. While extensive surgery is recommended in patients with inverted papilloma, a limited procedure should be performed in those with isolated mycosis.

Objectives: Aberrations in Wnt and Shh signaling pathways are related to the pathogenesis of head and neck carcinomas, and their activation frequently results from epigenetic alterations. This study aimed to assess the frequency of methylation of negative regulators of Wnt signaling: CXXC4, DACT2, HDPR1, and FBXW11 and Shh signaling: HHIP, PTCH1, SUFU, ZIC1, and ZIC4 and correlate it with clinicopathological features in this group of patients., Materials and Methods: Methylation-specific PCR was used to detect gene promoter methylation, and real-time PCR was used to assess gene expression level., Results: The analysis of the occurrence of gene promoter methylation in head and neck carcinoma cell lines indicated that CXXC4, DACT2, HHIP, ZIC1, and ZIC4 are methylated in these tumors. These genes were further analyzed in tumor sections from oral and laryngeal cancer patients. Gene methylation rate was higher in laryngeal tumors. The methylation index in tumor samples correlated with the overall survival in a subgroup of oral cancer patients who died of the disease. Moreover, ZIC4 methylation correlated with lymph node involvement in oral cancer patients., Conclusions: Our findings corroborate that the activation of Wnt signaling in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is related to epigenetic silencing of its negative regulators. Moreover, the results indicate that the same mechanism of activation may operate in the case of Shh signaling., Clinical Relevance: The methylation of ZIC4 may be considered a new prognostic marker in oral cavity and oropharyngeal tumors. Further investigations should determine the diagnostic significance of methylation of ZIC4, HHIP, and DACT2 in head and neck carcinomas.

The deregulation of Wnt signaling has recently emerged as one of the drivers of head and neck cancers. This is frequently related to the methylation of several antagonists of this pathway. This study aimed at the assessment of the profile of methylation of Wnt pathway antagonists and the determination of the prognostic value of the methylation of selected genes in oral carcinomas. The methylation of DACH1, DKK1, LKB1, PPP2R2B, RUNX3, SFRP2, and WIF-1 was analyzed in 16 oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines using the methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. The methylation of selected genes was further analyzed in tumor sections from 43 primary oral carcinoma patients. The analysis of oral carcinoma cell lines showed very frequent methylation of SFRP2 and WIF-1 and also a less frequent methylation of DACH1 and DKK1. On the other hand, RUNX3 was methylated only in one cell line, while LKB1 and PPP2R2B were not methylated in any of the cell lines. The biallelic methylation of DKK1 correlated with the low level of expression of this gene. Further evaluation of the methylation of DACH1, DKK1, and WIF1 in a clinical patient group confirmed the frequent methylation of WIF1 and intermediate or low frequency of methylation of DACH1 or DKK1, respectively. Importantly, the methylation of WIF-1 correlated with shorter survival in oral cancer patients. Overall, the methylation of the antagonists of Wnt pathway is frequently detected in oral squamous cell carcinomas. The methylation of WIF1 may be considered a prognostic marker in oral cancers.

Stapes surgery is performed using both conventional techniques and a variety of laser systems. The Er-Yag laser is a type of pulsation laser deemed by many to be the safest for ear surgery. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects of using the Er-Yag laser in stapes surgery and its impact on inner ear function. The study was conducted on 95 ears (48 right and 47 left) that had undergone Er-Yag laser-assisted stapedotomy. The follow-up time was at least 3 years. Pure tone audiometry was performed on all patients. The frequency ranged from 125 to 8,000 Hz. Air conduction and bone conduction were both assessed. Moreover, all patients had their stapedius reflex assessed and were given a Rinne test. The results were evaluated according to the Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium guidelines and then statistically analyzed using the Wilcoxon sequence pair test with a p value of <0.05. A decrease in the hearing threshold of 0.5, 1, and 3 kHz, for both bone and air conduction was observed for all patients (p < 0.0001). The Wilcoxon sequence pair test revealed a statistically significant correlation between the pre- and postoperative treatment mean air-bone gap values (p < 0.0001). No facial nerve paralysis was observed. No Er-Yag laser side effects were observed on inner ear function. The patients also had lower hearing thresholds. These observations demonstrate the usefulness of Er-Yag lasers in stapes surgery.