Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T09:14:03.489Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Emergency presentations of head and neck cancer: a modern perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2016

M Bannister ,
V Vallamkondu  and
K W Ah-See
M Bannister*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Scotland, UK
V Vallamkondu
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Scotland, UK
K W Ah-See
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Scotland, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Mr Miles Bannister, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Forresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZN, Scotland, UK E-mail: miles.bannister@hotmail.co.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

Head and neck cancer emergency presentations are uncommon but persistent. However, there is little published literature on this aspect of cancer and patient demographics. This study aimed to assess the incidence, patient profile, tumour site and stage of emergency cancer presentations in our region.

Method:

Retrospective review of regional cancer database over a five-year period.

Results:

Emergency presentations accounted for 7 per cent of all cases. There was no difference in patient age and risk factors between the emergency and non-emergency presentations. The emergency presentation group showed a greater proportion of female patients compared to the non-emergency presentation group (30 vs 15 per cent). In all emergency presentations, the cancer was at advanced stages. Oropharyngeal cancer was the commonest emergency presentation of cancer, but the third commonest in the non-emergency group.

Conclusion:

Emergency presentations are increasing annually. Female patients and oropharyngeal cancer showed greater representation compared to male patients and laryngeal cancer.

Keywords

Head And Neck NeoplasmsOropharyngeal NeoplasmsLaryngeal NeoplasmsOtolaryngology
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 130 , Issue 6 , June 2016 , pp. 571 - 574
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Presented at the ENT Scotland Summer Meeting, 7 May 2015, Dunblane, Scotland, UK.

References

1 Health and Social Care Information Centre. National Head and Neck Cancer Audit 2013. Leeds: Clinical Audit Support Unit, 2014 Google Scholar
2 Al-Janabi, T, Brown, R. Emergency presentations of oesophageal carcinoma. An unusual case. Emerg Med J 2001;18:142 Google Scholar
3 Abdul-Hussein, A, Morris, PA, Markova, T. An unusual presentation of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the minor salivary glands with cranial nerve palsy: a case study. BMC Cancer 2007;7:157 Google Scholar
4 Soon, SR, Kanagalingam, J, Johari, S, Yuen, HW. Head and neck cancers masquerading as deep neck abscesses. Singapore Med J 2012;53:840–2Google Scholar
5 Elliss-Brookes, L, McPhail, S, Ives, A, Greenslade, M, Shelton, J, Hiom, S et al. Routes to diagnosis for cancer - determining the patient journey using multiple routine data sets. Br J Cancer 2012;107:1220–6Google Scholar
6 Vasas, P, Wiggins, T, Chaudry, A, Bryant, C, Hughes, FS. Emergency presentation of the gastric cancer; prognosis and implications for service planning. World J Emerg Surg 2012;7:31 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7 Hogan, J, Samaha, G, Burke, J, Chang, SK, Condon, E, Waldron, D et al. Emergency presenting colon cancer is an independent predictor of adverse disease-free survival. Int Surg 2015;100:77–86 Google Scholar
8 Dinsdale, P. Reducing emergency presentations of cancer patients remains a challenge, says cancer tsar. BMJ 2012;344:e4341 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9 Narula, AA, Sheppard, IJ, West, K, Bradley, PJ. Is emergency laryngectomy a waste of time? Am J Otolaryngol 1993;14:21–3Google Scholar
10 Savage, P, Sharkey, R, Kua, T, Papanastasopoulos, P, McDonald-Burrows, Z, Hassan, S et al. Clinical characteristics and outcomes for patients with an emergency presentation of malignancy: a 15 month audit of patient level data. Cancer Epidemiol 2015;39:86–90 Google Scholar
11 Nouraei, SA, Middleton, SE, Hudovsky, A, Darzi, A, Stewart, S, Kaddour, H et al. A national analysis of the outcome of major head and neck cancer surgery: implications for surgeon-level data publication. Clin Otolaryngol 2013;38:502–11Google Scholar
12 Amri, R, Bordeianou, LG, Sylla, P, Berger, DL. Colon cancer surgery following emergency presentation: effects on admission and stage-adjusted outcomes. Am J Surg 2015;209:246–53Google Scholar
13 Bos, MM, De Keizer, NF, Meynaar, IA, Bakhshi-Raiez, F, De Jonge, E. Outcomes of cancer patients after unplanned admission to general intensive care units. Acta Oncol 2012;51:897–905 Google Scholar
14 Dolan, RW, Vaughan, CW, Fuleihan, N. Symptoms in early head and neck cancer: an inadequate indicator. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1998;119:463–7Google Scholar
15 Scott, SE, Grunfeld, EA, Main, J, McGurk, M. Patient delay in oral cancer: a qualitative study of patients’ experiences. Psychooncology 2006;15:474–85Google Scholar
16 Tokuda, Y, Chinen, K, Obara, H, Joishy, SK. Intervals between symptom onset and clinical presentation in cancer patients. Intern Med 2009;48:899–905 Google Scholar
17 Hamilton, W. Emergency admissions of cancer as a marker of diagnostic delay. Br J Cancer 2012;107:1205–6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18 Bannister, M, Ah-See, KW. Is oropharyngeal cancer being misdiagnosed as acute tonsillitis? Br J Gen Pract 2014;64:742–4Google Scholar
19 Bottle, A, Tsang, C, Parsons, C, Majeed, A, Soljak, M, Aylin, P. Association between patient and general practice characteristics and unplanned first-time admissions for cancer: observational study. Br J Cancer 2012;107:1213–19Google Scholar