What Stage Cancer Do I Have?

When a patient is informed that they have cancer, one of the very first question they ask is "What stage cancer do I have?" Even if the patient does not fully understand what staging actually means, most will understand that the worse the stage, the worse the survival outcome (stage 1 being the best and stage 4 being the worst). So how does a physician come up with the cancer stage for cancers of the mouth and throat? It actually does not involve a complicated algorithm in order t…

6/04/2018 0

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Liquid Biopsy for Head and Neck Cancer

Liquid biopsy is when a simple blood draw is performed in order to detect cancer cells (CTC) or mutated DNA fragments (ctDNA) free floating in the bloodstream that has been shed from the cancer's primary or secondary sites. This test has been heralded as an alternative way to make a diagnosis instead of an invasive surgical biopsy whether by needle or excision. Liquid biopsy has been developed mainly for detecting cancers of the breast, prostate, colon, ovarian, lung, and melanoma. Liqu…

6/05/2016 0

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Blood and Spit Test that Detects Cancer of the Head and Neck

Over the years, simple blood tests have been developed to detect specific types of cancer in the human body. We have PSA for prostate cancer; BRCA for breast cancer; CEA for colon cancer... and potentially in the very near future... a blood as well as spit test for head and neck cancer! Finally! Developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins, this new blood/spit test is able to detect squamous cell carcinoma with astounding accuracy using a combination of both DNA mutations and HPV markers.  …

6/26/2015 0

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Is There an Anatomic Basis for Exploding Head Syndrome?

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at  FreeDigitalPhotos.net Exploding head syndrome is defined as "a sudden loud noise or an exploding sensation in the head, either at the wake-sleep transition or upon waking at night, and abrupt arousal or fright after the event." Exploding head syndrome or EHS is thought to be due to a neurologic or psychiatric disorder, but I've always wondered if there's actually an anatomic explanation that can be physically corrected result…

2/02/2015 0

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Video of Deep Head-Hanging to Treat BPPV (Superior Canal)

This is the fifth in a series of videos our practice is producing on inner ear dizziness.  This video  demonstrates how the  Deep Head-Hanging maneuver  is performed to treat superior (or anterior) canal  BPPV . Also demonstrated is what happens within the inner ear when the maneuver is performed correctly. The first video was on  how the inner ear balance system works  which can be watched  here . The second video was on the  Dix-Hallpike maneuver  to diagnose BPPV and which canal type. …

12/05/2014 0

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Video of Lempert (BBQ Roll) to Treat BPPV (Horizontal Canal)

This is the fourth in a series of videos our practice is producing on inner ear dizziness.  This video  demonstrates how the  Lempert maneuver  is performed to treat horizontal (or lateral) canal  BPPV . The Lempert maneuver is also known as the barbecue roll. Also demonstrated is what happens within the inner ear when the maneuver is performed correctly. The first video was on  how the inner ear balance system works  which can be watched  here . The second video was on the Dix-Hallpike man…

11/24/2014 0

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