Posters
Presentation Type
Poster
Discipline Track
Community/Public Health
Abstract Type
Case Report
Abstract
Introduction: Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC) occur in approximately 123,000 cases of oropharyngeal cancer diagnosis worldwide and with about 79,000 deaths yearly. OPSCC stems from the soft palate, pharyngeal wall, tonsils, vallecula, and base of the tongue. Patients with metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer have a generally poor prognosis noting a median survival of 6 to 15 months. Treatment with systemic therapy is used for most patients and is dependent on their clinical factors, comorbidities, previous treatments, and pathologic features.
Case Presentation: The patient is a 52-year-old male with a past medical history of liver cirrhosis, hepatitis C, and neurofibromatosis type 1 who was admitted for a 4-month history of dysphagia with unintentional weight loss of 50 pounds, severe neck pain, and worsening cough. Patient was found to have an obstructive supraglottic tumor. He underwent an emergent tracheostomy due to airway obstruction, and PEG tube placement due to oropharyngeal dysphagia/malnutrition. Tumor biopsy revealed invasive moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue base and larynx, followed by oncology diagnosis of Stage IV SCC. The patient was affected by multiple social determinants of health as he was uninsured, did not have transportation, and lacked access to a PCP.
Conclusions: While late-diagnosed Oropharyngeal carcinomas carry a poor prognosis, early-stage tumors can be effectively treated with radiation or surgery. The unique population of South Texas often faces detrimental social circumstances from being uninsured, increasing poverty, and language differences. These factors often cultivate significant barriers to accessing health care thus, resulting in late-stage disease diagnoses.
Academic/Professional Position
Medical Student
Mentor/PI Department
Internal Medicine
Recommended Citation
Singleterry, Rodolfo; Haj-Yahya, Khairiya; Khaddam, Ayman; and Torres, Karina, "The Dysphagia Causing Cancer: A Case of Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma" (2023). Research Symposium. 66.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/theme1/posters/66
Included in
The Dysphagia Causing Cancer: A Case of Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Introduction: Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC) occur in approximately 123,000 cases of oropharyngeal cancer diagnosis worldwide and with about 79,000 deaths yearly. OPSCC stems from the soft palate, pharyngeal wall, tonsils, vallecula, and base of the tongue. Patients with metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer have a generally poor prognosis noting a median survival of 6 to 15 months. Treatment with systemic therapy is used for most patients and is dependent on their clinical factors, comorbidities, previous treatments, and pathologic features.
Case Presentation: The patient is a 52-year-old male with a past medical history of liver cirrhosis, hepatitis C, and neurofibromatosis type 1 who was admitted for a 4-month history of dysphagia with unintentional weight loss of 50 pounds, severe neck pain, and worsening cough. Patient was found to have an obstructive supraglottic tumor. He underwent an emergent tracheostomy due to airway obstruction, and PEG tube placement due to oropharyngeal dysphagia/malnutrition. Tumor biopsy revealed invasive moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue base and larynx, followed by oncology diagnosis of Stage IV SCC. The patient was affected by multiple social determinants of health as he was uninsured, did not have transportation, and lacked access to a PCP.
Conclusions: While late-diagnosed Oropharyngeal carcinomas carry a poor prognosis, early-stage tumors can be effectively treated with radiation or surgery. The unique population of South Texas often faces detrimental social circumstances from being uninsured, increasing poverty, and language differences. These factors often cultivate significant barriers to accessing health care thus, resulting in late-stage disease diagnoses.