Burnout may develop in highly productive, hard-working individuals from all walks of life. Extending working hours under stressful circumstances may produce a sense of frustration resulting in emotional exhaustion, loss of empathy for patients, and a decreased sense of personal accomplishment. The membership of the American Society of Head and Neck Surgery and the Society of Head and Neck Surgeons was surveyed by mail relative to burnout. A total of 395 head and neck surgeons responded. Mean age was 48 years. The average individual worked an average of 66 hours per week. More than 70% of work was devoted to patient care of which 30% to 50% was devoted to the management of head and neck cancer. A total of 128 (34%) individuals responded that they felt "burned out." Only 27%, however, indicated frustration with disease, whereas 67% indicated frustration by government and 58% indicated frustration by the economics of medical practice. Most respondents enjoy their work, nevertheless, the stress of extending working hours dealing with severely ill patients, and the increased need to deal with government and economic issues is of concern to the community of physicians practicing head and neck surgery. Discussion about and confrontation with these issues are appropriate to facilitate and enhance an individual's ability to continue to function productively in this environment.

Burnout, Professional↗

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Medial vs lateral wall pyriform sinus carcinoma: implications for management of regional lymphatics.

BACKGROUND: Our purpose in performing this review is to analyze the relationship between the anatomic site of hypopharyngeal lesions and the pattern of recurrent disease, particularly cervical recurrence. This clinical information can subsequently be used to influence treatment options. METHODS: The records of 169 patients with carcinoma of the hypopharynx treated between 1975 and 1986 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were classified as having medial wall pyriform sinus disease (MP) lesions, lateral wall pyriform sinus (LP) lesions, posterior wall (PW), or postcricoid (PC) lesions. All patients were followed a minimum of 36 months. Patients with evidence of recurrent carcinoma were characterized according to the site of recurrence. RESULTS: Recurrent carcinoma in the hypopharynx was noted in seven (4%) of 169 patients. Cervical metastases was the sole site of failure in 27 (16%) of 69 patients, whereas distant metastases developed in 25 (15%) of 169 patients. Failure in the contralateral unoperated neck occurred in 14% (10/71) of patients with MP lesions and, in contrast, 5% (4/76) LP patients. This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.04). Radiotherapy was not effective in preventing cervical recurrence in 20 (74%) of 27 overall neck failures and 11 (79%) of 14 contralateral NO neck failures. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that patients with carcinoma involving the MP are at greater risk for contralateral cervical metastases. We recommend bilateral neck dissection be offered to patients with MP lesions.

Adult↗

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Prognostic significance of prostaglandin E2 production in fresh tissues of head and neck cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Immunosuppressive prostaglandins may play a role in the biologic behavior of head and neck cancer. Increased levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) have been measured in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). METHODS: To address this question, tissue levels of PGE2 were measured in tumor tissues, normal mucosa, and lymph nodes of 37 patients undergoing tumor resections. Tissue specimens were placed in culture media, and levels of PGE2 released into the supernatant were measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Tissue levels of PGE2 were significantly greater in tumor and normal mucosal tissues compared to lymph nodes (p = 0.0003). There was no difference between metastatic and tumor-free lymph nodes. Although tumor tissue levels of PGE2 were not associated with tumor stage, increased levels of PGE2 were associated with increased 2-year disease-free survival (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Although PGE2 may have adverse effects on local immune function in tumor tissues, improved survival of patients with increased local PGE2 production may be indicative of an enhanced immunologic response to the tumor which has a favorable impact on outcome.

Adult↗

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Cisplatin--5-fluorouracil chemotherapy for advanced inoperable squamous carcinoma of the head and neck.

Patients with locally advanced, inoperable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were offered three courses of cisplatin and 96-h 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) infusion. Subsequent therapy included surgery when feasible, irradiation therapy, and a maintenance program of methotrexate (MTX)-5-FU. Thirty-three patients were evaluated prospectively. Seven patients underwent a single course of chemotherapy. Five patients underwent two courses of chemotherapy. Twenty-one patients underwent three courses of adjuvant chemotherapy. The overall response rate was 48% (16 of 33). Fifteen of 21 patients (76%) receiving three courses of chemotherapy evidenced a response; this included three complete responses (CRs) (9%). No responses were seen in patients receiving only one or two courses of chemotherapy. Among responding patients, the initial favorable response to chemotherapy was apparent after the first course of chemotherapy. Patients who failed to demonstrate any response after two courses of chemotherapy did not respond after a third course. A significant group of patients fail to respond and should be offered participation in other investigational protocols as they become available.

Aged↗

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Lipid and volume analysis of neck drainage in patients undergoing neck dissection.

PURPOSE: We seek to establish normative values for the volume of postoperative neck drainage from patients undergoing ablative oncologic procedures that include a neck dissection and to analyze neck drainage for lipid content to establish guidelines that may be helpful in identifying chylous fistula when this diagnosis is not clinically straightforward. PATIENTS AND MATERIALS: Neck drainage obtained through continuous suction percutaneous drainage catheters was evaluated following 23 neck dissections performed on 19 patients. In every case, either radicle or modified type I neck dissection was performed. The volume of drainage was quantitated on a day-to-day basis. In a separate group of 27 patients undergoing neck dissection, neck drainage was compared with serum levels of triglyceride, cholesterol, and chylomicron content. RESULTS: The mean duration of neck drainage was 5 days. Maximum drainage (160 mL) was noted on the first day and dropped daily to less than 10 mL by the fifth postoperative day. A statistically significant difference between serum and neck drainage triglyceride and cholesterol content was observed in nearly all cases. Neck drainage fat content was lower than that noted in serum in nearly all cases. Chylomicron content of 4% was encountered in neck drainage. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides normative data on lipid content of neck drainage. With only a rare exception, the triglyceride and cholesterol levels are higher in the serum than in the neck drainage. A triglyceride level of 100 mg/dL seems to be the upper limit of normal (mean plus 1 standard deviation). A low level of chylomicron (> 4%) is consistent with normal healing and may be due to breakdown of fatty tissue.

Aged↗

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Prostaglandin E2 of the upper aerodigestive tract.

Mucosal specimens obtained from the upper aerodigestive tract of 101 patients were assayed for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Prostaglandin was detected in all specimens evaluated. Children and nonsmoking adults demonstrated lower concentrations of PGE2 than smoking adults. Tumor specimens from patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract demonstrated significantly increased levels of PGE2 (p less than .05). Normal mucosa obtained from patients with squamous carcinoma elsewhere in their upper aerodigestive tract was found to contain significantly more PGE2 than that from adults without tumors (p less than .05). The amount of PGE2 released from a tissue biopsy was not related to the amount of mononuclear cell infiltrate. No age-related trends in PGE2 levels were noted. Prostaglandin levels were higher in patients with advanced tumors in comparison to smaller tumors. The possible impact of elevated levels of PGE2 upon the immune system, the subsequent development of second primary carcinomas, and the relationship between PGE2 and the use of tobacco products is discussed.

Adult↗

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Development of quality control methodology for new drugs.

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Chemical Phenomena↗