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BACKGROUND: Prolonged tracheal tube placement following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause serious complications. Safe removal requires sufficient ability for independent breathing and airway protection. Thus, identifying important factors for time to removal of the tracheal tube (decannulation) is essential for safe and efficient weaning. This study aimed to identify significant factors for time to decannulation in a Danish population of subjects with tracheostomy after TBI. METHODS: This was a retrospective register-based cohort study. Subjects with moderate and severe TBI and a tracheal tube were selected from the Danish Head Trauma Database between 2011–2021. Time to decannulation was calculated as time from injury to decannulation. Associations between selected explanatory variables representing demographic and clinical characteristics and time to decannulation were analyzed using linear regression models. RESULTS: A total 324 subjects were included with a median of 44 d to decannulation. Primary analysis found that an improvement in swallowing ability during the initial 4 weeks of rehabilitation was associated with an 8.2 d reduction in time to decannulation (95% CI −12.3 to −4.2, P < .001). Change in overall sensorimotor ability reduced time to decannulation by 0.94 (95% CI −0.78 to −0.10, P = .03) d. Change in cognitive abilities from rehab admission to 4-week follow-up did not significantly affect the number of days to decannulation (P = .66). Secondary analysis showed pneumonia was associated with the largest estimated increase of 24.4 (95% CI 15.9–32.9, P < .001) d and that increased cognitive functioning at rehabilitation admission was associated with a significant reduction in time to decannulation. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that a change in swallowing ability is a potentially significant factor for reducing time to decannulation. Identifying factors that could explain differences in time to decannulation, BACKGROUND: Prolonged tracheal tube placement following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause serious complications. Safe removal requires sufficient ability for independent breathing and airway protection. Thus, identifying important factors for time to removal of the tracheal tube (decannulation) is essential for safe and efficient weaning. This study aimed to identify significant factors for time to decannulation in a Danish population of subjects with tracheostomy after TBI. METHODS: This was a retrospective register-based cohort study. Subjects with moderate and severe TBI and a tracheal tube were selected from the Danish Head Trauma Database between 2011-2021. Time to decannulation was calculated as time from injury to decannulation. Associations between selected explanatory variables representing demographic and clinical characteristics and time to decannulation were analyzed using linear regression models. RESULTS: A total 324 subjects were included with a median of 44 d to decannulation. Primary analysis found that an improvement in swallowing ability during the initial 4 weeks of rehabilitation was associated with an 8.2 d reduction in time to decannulation (95% CI -12.3 to -4.2, P < .001). Change in overall sensorimotor ability reduced time to decannulation by 0.94 (95% CI -0.78 to -0.10, P = .03) d. Change in cognitive abilities from rehab admission to 4-week follow-up did not significantly affect the number of days to decannulation (P = .66). Secondary analysis showed pneumonia was associated with the largest estimated increase of 24.4 (95% CI 15.9-32.9, P < .001) d and that increased cognitive functioning at rehabilitation admission was associated with a significant reduction in time to decannulation. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that a change in swallowing ability is a potentially significant factor for reducing time to decannulation. Identifying factors that could explain differences in time to decannulation is essential for patient

This study protocol for a prospective, multicenter, diagnostic, clinical trial describes the integration of transoral and transcervical ultrasonography (US) in the initial clinical work-up of patients referred to tertiary head and neck cancer centers with suspected oropharyngeal cancer. The study evaluates the blinded detection rate of oropharyngeal tumors and their US-estimated size and T-stage before histopathology and cross-sectional imaging are available. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans will be prospectively rated while blinded to T-site histopathology and US. The primary outcome measures of diagnostic accuracy, including sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and overall accuracy, will be reported for both US and MRI. A sub-analysis of prospectively rated 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) scans in patients with clinically suspected unknown primary tumors will also be compared to US and MRI. Secondary outcome measures, including a comparison of tumor size estimation between US, MRI, and CT, will also be reported. This prospective multicenter study will provide clinically impactful information regarding the use of transoral and transcervical US for the diagnostic work-up of oropharyngeal cancer., This study protocol for a prospective, multicenter, diagnostic, clinical trial describes the integration of transoral and transcervical ultrasonography (US) in the initial clinical work-up of patients referred to tertiary head and neck cancer centers with suspected oropharyngeal cancer. The study evaluates the blinded detection rate of oropharyngeal tumors and their US-estimated size and T-stage before histopathology and cross-sectional imaging are available. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans will be prospectively rated while blinded to T-site histopathology and US. The primary outcome measures of diagnostic accuracy, including sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and overall accuracy, will be reported for both US and MRI. A sub-analysis of prospectively rated 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) scans in patients with clinically suspected unknown primary tumors will also be compared to US and MRI. Secondary outcome measures, including a comparison of tumor size estimation between US, MRI, and CT, will also be reported. This prospective multicenter study will provide clinically impactful information regarding the use of transoral and transcervical US for the diagnostic work-up of oropharyngeal cancer.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of the tongue is the most common type of oral cavity cancer, and tumor depth of invasion (DOI) is an important prognostic factor. In this study, we investigated the accuracy of intraoral ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing DOI in patients with OSCC. Histopathological measurement of DOI was used as a reference standard. We conducted a prospective study including patients planned for surgical treatment of OSCC in the tongue. The DOI was measured in an outpatient setting by intraoral ultrasound and MRI, and was compared to the histopathological DOI measurements. Bland–Altman analysis compared the mean difference and 95% limits of agreement (LOA) for ultrasound and MRI, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to test for significance. The correlation was evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. We included 30 patients: 26 with T1 or T2 tumors, and 4 with T3 tumors. The mean difference from histopathology DOI was significantly lower for ultrasound compared to MRI (0.95 mm [95% LOA −4.15 mm to 6.06 mm] vs. 1.90 mm [95% LOA −9.02 mm and 12.81 mm], p = 0.023). Ultrasound also led to significantly more correct T-stage classifications in 86.7% (26) of patients compared to 56.7% (17) for MRI, p = 0.015. The Pearson correlation between MRI and histopathology was 0.57 (p < 0.001) and the correlation between ultrasound and histopathology was 0.86 (p < 0.001). This prospective study found that intraoral ultrasound is more accurate than MRI in assessing DOI and for the T-staging of oral tongue cancers. Clinical practice and guidelines should implement intraoral ultrasound accordingly. Keywords: oral cancer; tongue cancer; staging; depth of invasion; intraoral ultrasound; MRI; pathology, Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of the tongue is the most common type of oral cavity cancer, and tumor depth of invasion (DOI) is an important prognostic factor. In this study, we investigated the accuracy of intraoral ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing DOI in patients with OSCC. Histopathological measurement of DOI was used as a reference standard. We conducted a prospective study including patients planned for surgical treatment of OSCC in the tongue. The DOI was measured in an outpatient setting by intraoral ultrasound and MRI, and was compared to the histopathological DOI measurements. Bland–Altman analysis compared the mean difference and 95% limits of agreement (LOA) for ultrasound and MRI, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to test for significance. The correlation was evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. We included 30 patients: 26 with T1 or T2 tumors, and 4 with T3 tumors. The mean difference from histopathology DOI was significantly lower for ultrasound compared to MRI (0.95 mm [95% LOA −4.15 mm to 6.06 mm] vs. 1.90 mm [95% LOA −9.02 mm and 12.81 mm], p = 0.023). Ultrasound also led to significantly more correct T-stage classifications in 86.7% (26) of patients compared to 56.7% (17) for MRI, p = 0.015. The Pearson correlation between MRI and histopathology was 0.57 (p < 0.001) and the correlation between ultrasound and histopathology was 0.86 (p < 0.001). This prospective study found that intraoral ultrasound is more accurate than MRI in assessing DOI and for the T-staging of oral tongue cancers. Clinical practice and guidelines should implement intraoral ultrasound accordingly.

Surgery is the primary treatment for tongue cancer. The goal is a complete resection of the tumor with an adequate margin of healthy tissue around the tumor.Inadequate margins lead to a high risk of local cancer recurrence and the need for adjuvant therapies. Ex vivo imaging of the resected surgical specimen has been suggested for margin assessment and improved surgical results. Therefore, we have developed a novel three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging technique to improve the assessment of resection margins during surgery. In this research protocol, we describe a study comparing the accuracy of 3D ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and clinical examination of the surgical specimen to assess the resection margins during cancer surgery. Tumor segmentation and margin measurement will be performed using 3D ultrasound and MRI of the ex vivo specimen. We will determine the accuracy of each method by comparing the margin measurements and the proportion of correctly classified margins (positive, close, and free) obtained by each technique with respect to the gold standard histopathology.

Objective(s): To investigate dysphagia and quality of life (QoL) outcomes 3 years after treatment of oropharyngeal cancer with either primary trans oral robotic surgery (TORS) or radiotherapy (RT). Methods: A prospective cohort study conducted at the Copenhagen University Hospital. Endpoints were objective swallowing function, examined using fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and video fluoroscopy (VF). QoL was assessed with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core (EORTC QLQ-C30), Head & Neck Module (EORTC QLQ-HN35), and MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI). A comparison was made between 1-, and 3-year results. Results: Forty-four patients were included prior to treatment, 31 treated with TORS and 13 with RT. One-year results for this cohort have previously been published (https://doi.org/10.1080/00016489.2020.1836395). Significant improvement on FEES in retention at the piriform sinus was noted in both groups. Patients treated with TORS had improved safety scores as well as dynamic imaging grade of swallowing toxicity (DIGEST) and efficiency scores, whereas patients treated with RT only had improvements in the latter two. Improvement in QoL scores was only noted for patients treated with TORS in composite MDADI scores. Conclusion: We found significant improvements in objective swallowing function from one to 3 years after treatment, particularly in patients treated with TORS. However, these improvements were not reflected as clinically meaningful improvements in QoL. Level of Evidence: Level 3, cohort follow-up study Laryngoscope, 2022.

Objectives: To investigate thresholds for lymph node yield (LNY), lymph node density (LND), and pN in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma in relation to previous findings in the literature. Study Design: Retrospective register-based study. Setting: Copenhagen Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma database. Methods: Appropriate thresholds for LNY, LND, and pN were determined by areas under the curve and subsequently subjected to multivariate analysis. Five-year overall survival and 3-year recurrence-free survival were determined by Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Results: In total, 413 patients diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma were included. In the pN0 cohort, no superior/prognostic LNY cutoff values were detected. In the pN+ cohort, areas under the curve determined thresholds of LNY, LND, and pN to be 21 nodes, 5%, and 3 metastases, respectively. The 5-year overall survival was 52% for patients with LNY ≥21 vs 38% for patients with LNY <21 (hazard ratio [HR], 1.49; 95% CI, 1.05-2.11; P <.05), 60% for patients with LND ≤5% vs 38% for patients with LND >6% (HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.03-2.57; P <.05), and 43% for patients with pN <3 vs 26% for patients with pN ≥3 (HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.04-2.15; P <.05). Conclusions: Increased nodal yield, decreased LND, and decreasing number of pN were associated with significantly improved survival outcomes. LNY might serve as a prognosticator of survival as well as a surgical quality indicator. LND may have implications as a tool in cancer staging and treatment planning.

Objectives/Hypothesis: The aims were to determine health-related quality of life (HRQoL), including voice problems, dysphagia, depression, and anxiety after total laryngectomy (TL), and investigate the associations between HRQoL and the late effects. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 172 participants having received a TL 1.6 to 18.1 years ago for laryngeal/hypopharyngeal cancer filled in the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, Core and Head and Neck module (EORTC QLQ-C30, EORTC QLQ-H&N35), Voice-Related Quality of Life questionnaire (V-RQOL), M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaires. Results: Participants scored worse than normative reference populations on all scales/items of the EORTC questionnaires, except one, and almost half of the scales/items showed a clinically relevant difference. Moderate/severe dysphagia was present in 46%, moderate/severe voice problems in 57%, depression in 16%, and anxiety in 20%. Decreasing age, increasing numbers of comorbidities, increasing voice problems, increasing dysphagia, and increasing depression symptoms, were associated with a lowered EORTC QLQ-C30 summary score. Conclusion: A substantial proportion of participants experienced clinically significant late effects and increasing levels of these were associated with a lowered HRQoL. Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 2021.

Background: Days Alive and Out of Hospital (DAOH) is a recently introduced, readily obtainable postoperative outcome measure method that expresses procedure and disease-associated morbidity and mortality. In this study, we evaluated DAOH with 30- and 365-days follow-up periods after primary surgery (DAOH30 and DAOH365, respectively) for patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of this study is to identify patient-, procedure- and disease-associated risk factors for patients treated with primary surgery for primary OSCC. Material and methods: This retrospective cohort study from a prospective collected database represents patients from Eastern Denmark surgically treated for primary OSCC in the period 2000–2014. DAOH30 and DAOH365 were calculated and associations with patient characteristics including comorbidity, tumor characteristics, clinical outcomes such as length of stay, readmission, and mortality were evaluated. Tests for difference and significance between groups were assessed with Mann–Whitney U test and quantile linear regression. Results: We included 867 patients (63% males, median age: 63 years (IQR 56–70 years)). Median DAOH30 and DAOH365 after OSCC surgery were 25 days (IQR 21–27 days) and 356 days (IQR 336–360 days), respectively. Alcohol consumption had a significant association with a lower DAOH365, p < 0.01, but not with DAOH30. Advanced T-stage, adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) and increased Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score was significantly associated with a lower DAOH30 and DAOH365. Conclusion: In this population-based study in OSCC patients treated with primary surgery, we found that DAOH after 30 days was 25 days (83%), while DAOH after 365 days was 356 days (98%). Advanced T-stage acts as a predictor for significant DAOH30 and DAOH365 reduction while excessive alcohol consumption pre

Background: This article aims to evaluate the impact of smoking status, accumulated tobacco exposure (ATE), and smoking cessation on overall- and disease-free survival (OS and DFS) of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Material and Methods: Patients with primary OSCC treated with curative intent between 2000 and 2019 in Copenhagen were included (n = 1808). Kaplan–Meier curves and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to compare the survival of patients with different smoking history. Interactions between ATE and (A) tumor subsite and (B) excessive alcohol consumption (EAC) on the survival were evaluated using multivariable Cox regression analyses with interaction terms. Results: We included 1717 patients with known smoking status (62.8% males, median age: 64 years (IQR: 57–71 years)), who had a 5-year OS of 53.7% (95%CI: 49.8%–57.9%). Based on fully adjusted multivariable Cox regression analyses, significantly elevated hazard ratios (HRs) for OS and DFS were identified for current, but not former smokers, compared to never-smokers. An approximately linear relationship between continuous ATE and survival estimates was identified. ATE analyzed as a categorical variable showed significantly elevated HRs for OS of patients with all categories (0 (Formula presented.) x (Formula presented.) 30, 30 (Formula presented.) x (Formula presented.) 60, and (Formula presented.) 60 PYs), however only for DFS of patients with >60 PYs, compared to 0 PYs. Furthermore, an unfavorable long-term prognosis was evident after >3.5 (OS) and >2.5 (DFS) years from diagnosis for patients who continued smoking compared to patients with smoking cessation at diagnosis. The survival estimates of patients with different tumor subsite and alcohol consumption differed with increasing ATE. Conclusion: Tobacco smoking (assessed as smoking status and ATE) was associated with inferior survival (OS and DFS) among patients with OSCC. Unfavorable long-term prognosis

Background: Second primary cancer (SPC), defined as a metachronous solid cancer resulting from neither a recurrence of the primary cancer nor a metastasis, is a leading long-term cause of death for survivors of primary oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study examined the risk of SPC following treatment of primary OSCC. Materials and Methods: This semi-national, population-based, retrospective study included all patients with primary OSCC treated with curative intent in Eastern Denmark in 2000–2014. The presence of SPC was confirmed from medical records and the Danish Pathology Data Bank. The rate of SPC was compared to the occurrence of any cancer in the Eastern Danish population using data from the Danish Cancer Registry. Results: A total of 936 patients with primary OSSC were enrolled. Of these, 219 patients (23%) were diagnosed with SPC during the follow-up (median 8.9 years, IQR: 5.4–12.6 years). The rate of SPC was four times higher than the occurrence of any cancer among the Eastern Danish population i.e., with a standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of 4.13 (95%CI: 3.55–4.80). SPCs were most frequently found in head and neck region (n = 97, SIR = 43.6), lower respiratory organs (n = 38, SIR = 5.6) and gastrointestinal organs (n = 33, SIR = 3.2) with increased SPC rates in all locations. Among patients who developed SPC within the study period the median time from OSCC to the first SPC was 4.4 years (IQR: 2.5–6.2). Significant associations were found between both smoking and excessive alcohol consumption after treatment of OSCC and the risk of SPC. Conclusions: A noteworthy increased rate of SPC following treatment of primary OSCC was found, especially in the head and neck region and in the lungs. Healthcare professionals should be aware of this increased risk.

The diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) can have substantial impact on swallowing function, nutritional balance, physical function and quality of life (QoL). Early initiated swallowing exercises are hypothesized to improve swallowing function in HNC patients. The aim was to investigate the effects of swallowing exercises and progressive resistance training (PRT) during radiotherapy on swallowing function, physical function and QoL in patients with pharynx-, larynx-, oral cavity cancer or unknown primary compared to usual care. In a multi-centre RCT participants were assigned to (a) twice-weekly PRT and daily swallowing exercises throughout treatment or (b) usual care. Outcomes were measured at end of treatment and 2, 6 and 12 months after. Primary outcome was penetration aspiration score (PAS). Data were analysed on an “intention-to-treat” basis by GEE logistic regression model, linear mixed effects model and cox regression. Of 371 invited HNC patients, 240 (65%) enrolled. Five participants were excluded. At 12 months follow-up, 59 (25%) participants were lost. Analyses showed significant effect on mouth opening, QoL, depression and anxiety at 12 months when comparing intervention to non-active controls. The trial found no effect on swallowing safety in HNC undergoing radiotherapy, but several positive effects were found on secondary outcomes when comparing to non-active controls. The intervention period may have been too short, and the real difference between groups is too small. Nevertheless, the need to identify long-lasting intervention to slow down or avoid functional deteriorations is ever more crucial as the surviving HNC population is growing.