The workshop was prepared with the aim to inform lay public and professionals about cancer of the head and neck. It was organized by the Union of Slovenian Associations against Cancer, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana and both University Medical Centers (Ljubljana, Maribor). At the workshop, whole problem of cancer of the head and neck was presented (diagnostics, treatment, rehabilitation, recommendations for unprofessionals), press conference was carried out and, especially for this occasion, the informative leaflet (»Talk about cancer of the head and neck«) was published. (ZAKOTNIK, Branko, STROJAN, Primož, GRAŠIČ-KUHAR, Cvetka, HOČEVAR-BOLTEŽAR, Irena. Spregovorimo o raku glave in vratu. Ljubljana: Zveza slovenskih društev za boj proti raku, [2011]. 1 zgibanka ([6] str.), ilustr. [COBISS.SI-ID 1142395)
D.10 Educational activities
COBISS.SI-ID: 1142139Purpose: To assess the clinical significance of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Patients and methods: Sixty-three patients with SCCHN treated with curative intent between 2007 and 2008 were randomly selected from the prospective database. There were 58.7% of oropharyngeal tumours and 68.3% of patients were primarily treated with surgery. All living patients were followed for more than 2 years. Polymerase-chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization (ISH) was used for the detection of HPV-16 viral DNA in tumour cells; as a surrogate indicator of infection with high-risk types of HPV, p16 protein was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: The proportion of PCR HPV-positive cases among oropharyngeal and oral cavity tumours was 27% and 9.5%, respectively. In the HPV-positive tumour group, locoregional control (LRC), failure-free survival (FFS) and overall survival (OS) were 100%, whereas in the HPV-negative group, the corresponding figures (at 3 years) were 70.2% (P=0.040), 63.6% (P=0.020) and 59.3% (P=0.008). In a multivariate model, combined HPV/p16 status appeared marginally significant for LRC (hazard ratio /HR/, 95% confidence interval /CI/: 0.33, 0.07-1.27, P=0.085) and FFS (HR 0.25, 95% CI 0.06-1.06, P=0.068). In the oropharyngeal tumour subgroup, HPV/p16 status was the only and marginally significant determinant of OS (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.11-1.29, P=0.083). Conclusion: The presented results appear to be in agreement with recent studies on the role of HPV infection in SCCHN.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 1195387Interview, Radio Slovenia 1, May 12, 2011. During the educational emission and interview, the radiotherapy as one of the basic treatment modalities in oncology was presented. Procedures during preparation for irradiation, its execution and quality control in radiotherapy were also described. Separately, modern irradiation technique – Intensity Modulated RadioTherapy (IMRT) was presented, which has been recently introduced in clinical practice also at the Institute of Oncology in Ljubljana. Advances, drawbacks and range of IMRT compared to other irradiation techniques were explained as well as indications for this particular type of treatment.
F.17 Transfer of existing technologies, know-how, methods and procedures into practice
COBISS.SI-ID: 1111419