Bo-Nien Chen^1,3*, Chih-Yung Yang¹ and Shiuan-Li Wey²

¹Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan
²Department of Pathology, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan
³Mackay Medical College, New Taipei, Taiwan

*Corresponding Author: Bo-Nien Chen, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Received: June 30, 2021; Published: July 08, 2021

Abstract

Objectives: Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNEC) of the palatine tonsil is extremely rare, highly invasive, and associated with poor prognosis. Herein, we present an extremely rare case of SCNEC of the palatine tonsil after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for laryngeal cancer. We also provide a brief review of its clinicopathological characteristics and treatment modalities.

Methods: A 66-year-old Taiwanese woman visited our hospital with a 2-week history of left-sided sore throat. She had a history of laryngeal cancer treated with CCRT 5 years ago. Asymmetric enlargement of the left palatine tonsil with extensive ulceration was noted. Biopsy of the left palatine tonsil was performed, and SCNEC was diagnosed. The patient subsequently underwent surgical intervention (wide excision of the left palatine tonsil and left supraomohyoid neck dissection) and adjuvant chemotherapy.

Results: The patient tolerated the treatment well and symptoms resolved. Tumor recurrence was not observed in follow-up magnetic resonance imaging after therapy at the 12-month follow-up time point, and the patient has resumed a normal life.

Conclusion: This report highlights the importance of considering the effect of CCRT on SCNEC occurrence and expands the spectrum of reported radiation-induced neoplasms in the head and neck region. It is critical for clinicians to be aware of this extremely rare and highly invasive malignancy.

Keywords: Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma; Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy; Postradiation Neoplasia; Tonsillar Malignancy

References

1. Sen R., et al. “Primary small cell carcinoma of tonsil: An extreme rarity”. Annals of Medicine and Surgery (Lond) 44 (2019): 29-32.
2. Wang X., et al. “Successful cisplatin-etoposide chemotherapy-based treatment of a primary small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the tonsil with multiple metastases: a case report”. Oncology Targets Therapy 11 (2018): 5391-5395.
3. Bouzbouz A., et al. “Rare cases of head and neck’s neuroendocrine carcinomas disease: Case series of 4 patients and review of the literature”. International Journal of Surgery Case Reports 66 (2020): 270-276.
4. Wang HY., et al. “Primary small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the tonsil: a case report and review of the literature”. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology5 (2014): 2678-2682.
5. Yuan Y., et al. “Tonsil neuroendocrine carcinoma concurrent with hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report”. Oncology Letter3 (2014): 1035-1038.
6. Chen XH., et al. “Palatine Tonsillar Metastasis of Small-Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma from the Lung Detected by FDG-PET/CT After Tonsillectomy: A Case Report”. Iranian Journal of Radiology3 (2013): 148-151.

Citation

Citation: Bo-Nien Chen., et al. “Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Palatine Tonsil After Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Laryngeal Cancer: A Rare Case Report".Acta Scientific Otolaryngology 3.8 (2020): 54-57.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2020 Bo-Nien Chen., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.