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Dysphagia in people with HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer

Human papilloma virus (HPV) associated oropharyngeal cancers are becoming much more prevalent and, in some geographic areas, have overtaken tobacco as the leading cause of oropharyngeal cancer. HPV-associated cancers are also reported to have better prognosis in general, and research...

Active surveillance for papillary thyroid cancers – what is the risk of progression?

Papillary thyroid cancers (PTCs) are generally considered to be indolent malignancies with favourable outcomes. Active surveillance (AS) has consequently been trialled as a management option for small PTCs with no evidence of regional lymph node involvement, especially papillary thyroid microcarcinomas...

Newborn sensorineural hearing loss – what is the incidence?

In the last two decades, the introduction of newborn screening for hearing loss has dramatically lowered the average age of newborn hearing loss diagnosis to around two to three months of age. The benefits of early diagnosis are manifold, enabling...

Small vestibular schwannomas (VS) – is waiting the right thing to do?

VS management can be surgical, by radiosurgery or watchful waiting. Middle fossa approach (MCF) can be implemented in small and some medium-size tumours, and has the potential to preserve hearing. The authors measured quality of life of VS patients who...

Outcomes of reirradiation for recurrent head and neck SCC

Recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is often a challenge to manage when radiotherapy has previously been administered as a component of the initial treatment. Salvage surgery is usually the preferred modality of treatment, but for unresectable...

How good is secondary intention healing post nasal cutaneous tumour excision?

The variation in size and site of nasal cutaneous tumours allows the surgeon to propose various methods to close the resulting defect post-tumour excision. This prospective multicentre cohort study executed in China encompassed 150 patients, comparing wound healing times and...

The Human Ear Canal

If ever a book aptly lived up to its name, it would be ‘The Human Ear Canal’ by Dr Ballachandra. Not once straying from its path, this second edition aims to take the reader on a somewhat tangential tour of...

Dizzy Me: Light on Balance

This book is unlike any academic text I have read before. It was not at all what I was expecting; the book aspires to be a “handbook for doctors [and a] guide for patients” but certainly takes an innovative, if...

Does turbinoplasty outcome vary in the presence of allergic disease?

This well organised study from Australia looks at inferior turbinoplasty outcomes in patients with allergy and non-allergic rhinitis who have become refractory to medical treatment. There were 190 patients undergoing turbinoplasty with or without septoplasty assessed in this case-control study...

Case study suggesting mtDNA mutation as a tinnitus factor: ND1:m.3394T>C

Konadath et al report a genetic case study of a 24-year-old female experiencing reduced hearing sensitivity and tinnitus along with a blocked sensation in her right ear, sudden onset one year prior with no other otological complaints. Standard audiometry along...

Bell’s palsy – antivirals and steroids for all?

The role of antiviral medications in the treatment of Bell’s palsy remains somewhat controversial. Antivirals alone do not appear to be helpful, whereas numerous studies have shown that corticosteroids improve the chance of a full recovery compared to placebo. What...