LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Investigating laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma prognosis Gino Marioni, MD Department of Neurosciences, Otolaryngology Section, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
To the Editor: I read with great interest the recent article by Fritsch and Lentsch,1 who investigated laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) prognosis using the populationbased cancer registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. Although the study by Fritsch and Lentsch1 is inevitably characterized by a potential bias relating to the fact that the cases of BSCC were diagnosed and treated by different teams and in different ways, the numerosity of the cases considered is remarkable. These studies are important, particularly those comparing the prognosis for head and neck BSCC as opposed to conventional squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in site-matched and stage-matched settings, because numerous—but not all—investigators currently believe that head and neck BSCC is a significantly more aggressive lesion and carries a worse prognosis than the more commonly encountered SCC.2 Confirmation of the greater aggressiveness of head and neck BSCC vis-a-vis conventional SCC could rationally justify a more aggressive approach to their locoregional treatment and possibly the use of adjuvant chemotherapy in head and neck BSCC. However, because the mistakes made (and reiterated) in citations eventually have a significant impact on the international medical literature, I have to point out that, in their reference number 22, Fritsch and Lentsch1 misquote the content of a study conducted by our group in this Head & Neck 36: 1527, 2014 Published online 28 August 2014 in Wiley Online Library (Wileyonlinelibrary. com). DOI 10.1002/hed.23768 C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. V
field.3 In the investigation concerned, the 9 BSCCs considered did not all arise in the larynx (but 5 in the larynx, 3 in the tongue, and 1 in the tonsil), whereas another study by our group4 analyzed the prognostic role of the apoptosis inhibitor protein survivin in 9 consecutive cases of laryngeal BSCC, and, in this latter series, the diseasespecific survival (DSS) was 55.6%. In speaking about the prognosis for BSCC of the head and neck, it is extremely important to be accurate about the site involved by the primary lesion. In fact, a more recent study by Fritsch and Lentsch5 concluded that the DSS of patients treated for laryngeal BSCC was significantly lower than for patients with conventional SCC on multivariate analysis, but patients with oropharyngeal BSCC had a higher DSS than those with oropharyngeal conventional SCC (reported data source: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute, September 2005; size of the populations considered: 1083 head and neck BSCCs, 66,929 conventional SCC).
REFERENCES 1. Fritsch VA, Lentsch EJ. Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx: analysis of 145 cases with comparison to conventional squamous cell carcinoma. Head Neck 2014;36:164–170. 2. Marioni G, Staffieri A, Savastano M, et al. Angiogenin expression in head and neck basaloid and conventional squamous cell carcinoma: a site- and stage-matched comparison. J Oral Pathol Med 2011;40:55–60. 3. Marioni G, Gaio E, Giacomelli L, et al. Endoglin (CD105) expression in head and neck basaloid squamous cell carcinoma. Acta Otolaryngol 2005; 125:307–311. 4. Marioni G, Ottaviano G, Marchese–Ragona R, et al. High nuclear expression of the apoptosis inhibitor protein survivin is associated with disease recurrence and poor prognosis in laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma. Acta Otolaryngol 2006;126:197–203. 5. Fritsch VA, Lentsch EJ. Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: location means everything. J Surg Oncol 2014;109:616–622.
Reply to letter to the editor regarding investigation of laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma prognosis Valerie Fritsch, MD, Eric Lentsch, MD Department of Otolaryngology, Medical University of South Carolina.
Head & Neck 36: 1527, 2014 Published online 28 August 2014 in Wiley Online Library (Wileyonlinelibrary. com). DOI 10.1002/hed.23769 C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. V
In response to the letter to the editor by Gino Marioni, thank you very much for your careful review of our article. As you suggested, we had intended to cite the study by your group that exclusively analyzed cases of laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC)1; however, we HEAD & NECK—DOI 10.1002/HED
OCTOBER 2014
1527
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
mistakenly cited an earlier study that included both laryngeal and oropharyngeal cases.2 We agree that citation accuracy is of utmost importance and would like to emphasize our gratitude for bringing this to our attention.
REFERENCES 1. Marioni G, Ottaviano G, Marchese–Ragona R, et al. High nuclear expression of the apoptosis inhibitor protein survivin is
1528
HEAD & NECK—DOI 10.1002/HED
OCTOBER 2014
associated with disease recurrence and poor prognosis in laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma. Acta Otolaryngol 2006;126:197– 203. 2. Marioni G, Gaio E, Giacomelli L, et al. Endoglin (CD105) expression in head and neck basaloid squamous cell carcinoma. Acta Otolaryngol 2005; 125:307–311.
Investigating laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma prognosis Gino Marioni, MD Department of Neurosciences, Otolaryngology Section, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
To the Editor: I read with great interest the recent article by Fritsch and Lentsch,1 who investigated laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) prognosis using the populationbased cancer registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. Although the study by Fritsch and Lentsch1 is inevitably characterized by a potential bias relating to the fact that the cases of BSCC were diagnosed and treated by different teams and in different ways, the numerosity of the cases considered is remarkable. These studies are important, particularly those comparing the prognosis for head and neck BSCC as opposed to conventional squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in site-matched and stage-matched settings, because numerous—but not all—investigators currently believe that head and neck BSCC is a significantly more aggressive lesion and carries a worse prognosis than the more commonly encountered SCC.2 Confirmation of the greater aggressiveness of head and neck BSCC vis-a-vis conventional SCC could rationally justify a more aggressive approach to their locoregional treatment and possibly the use of adjuvant chemotherapy in head and neck BSCC. However, because the mistakes made (and reiterated) in citations eventually have a significant impact on the international medical literature, I have to point out that, in their reference number 22, Fritsch and Lentsch1 misquote the content of a study conducted by our group in this Head & Neck 36: 1527, 2014 Published online 28 August 2014 in Wiley Online Library (Wileyonlinelibrary. com). DOI 10.1002/hed.23768 C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. V
field.3 In the investigation concerned, the 9 BSCCs considered did not all arise in the larynx (but 5 in the larynx, 3 in the tongue, and 1 in the tonsil), whereas another study by our group4 analyzed the prognostic role of the apoptosis inhibitor protein survivin in 9 consecutive cases of laryngeal BSCC, and, in this latter series, the diseasespecific survival (DSS) was 55.6%. In speaking about the prognosis for BSCC of the head and neck, it is extremely important to be accurate about the site involved by the primary lesion. In fact, a more recent study by Fritsch and Lentsch5 concluded that the DSS of patients treated for laryngeal BSCC was significantly lower than for patients with conventional SCC on multivariate analysis, but patients with oropharyngeal BSCC had a higher DSS than those with oropharyngeal conventional SCC (reported data source: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute, September 2005; size of the populations considered: 1083 head and neck BSCCs, 66,929 conventional SCC).
REFERENCES 1. Fritsch VA, Lentsch EJ. Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx: analysis of 145 cases with comparison to conventional squamous cell carcinoma. Head Neck 2014;36:164–170. 2. Marioni G, Staffieri A, Savastano M, et al. Angiogenin expression in head and neck basaloid and conventional squamous cell carcinoma: a site- and stage-matched comparison. J Oral Pathol Med 2011;40:55–60. 3. Marioni G, Gaio E, Giacomelli L, et al. Endoglin (CD105) expression in head and neck basaloid squamous cell carcinoma. Acta Otolaryngol 2005; 125:307–311. 4. Marioni G, Ottaviano G, Marchese–Ragona R, et al. High nuclear expression of the apoptosis inhibitor protein survivin is associated with disease recurrence and poor prognosis in laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma. Acta Otolaryngol 2006;126:197–203. 5. Fritsch VA, Lentsch EJ. Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: location means everything. J Surg Oncol 2014;109:616–622.
Reply to letter to the editor regarding investigation of laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma prognosis Valerie Fritsch, MD, Eric Lentsch, MD Department of Otolaryngology, Medical University of South Carolina.
Head & Neck 36: 1527, 2014 Published online 28 August 2014 in Wiley Online Library (Wileyonlinelibrary. com). DOI 10.1002/hed.23769 C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. V
In response to the letter to the editor by Gino Marioni, thank you very much for your careful review of our article. As you suggested, we had intended to cite the study by your group that exclusively analyzed cases of laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC)1; however, we HEAD & NECK—DOI 10.1002/HED
OCTOBER 2014
1527
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
mistakenly cited an earlier study that included both laryngeal and oropharyngeal cases.2 We agree that citation accuracy is of utmost importance and would like to emphasize our gratitude for bringing this to our attention.
REFERENCES 1. Marioni G, Ottaviano G, Marchese–Ragona R, et al. High nuclear expression of the apoptosis inhibitor protein survivin is
1528
HEAD & NECK—DOI 10.1002/HED
OCTOBER 2014
associated with disease recurrence and poor prognosis in laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma. Acta Otolaryngol 2006;126:197– 203. 2. Marioni G, Gaio E, Giacomelli L, et al. Endoglin (CD105) expression in head and neck basaloid squamous cell carcinoma. Acta Otolaryngol 2005; 125:307–311.
