Upper Aerodigestive Tract and Salivary Glands (GIT) Flashcards
What type of epithelium lines the upper aerodigestive tract?
Lined by respiratory epithelium, which transitions to squamous epithlium in the mouth, glottis and oropharynx.
What is the upper aerodigestive tract responsible for?
Olfaction
Conditioning of inhaled air
Swallowing food
What is the general prognosis for head and neck tumours?
What are the exceptions to this?
H&N tumours generally have poor prognosis.
Exceptions = salivary gland tumours and HPV associated H&N cancer
Where does leukoplakia and erythroplakia occur?
What are their aetiologies?
Leukoplakia and erythroplakia are potentially malignant disorders of the squamous epithelia of the mouth/tongue/gingiva.
Leukoplakia = white patches caused by hyperkeratosis.
This may be from: inflammation, friction, fungal infection, dysplasia or malignancy.
Erythroplakia = red patches. Often indicate dysplastic or neoplastic lesions, and are of much higher concern than leukoplakia
What are the prognoses of leukoplakia and erythroplakia?
Leukoplakia is much more common, and has a malignant transformation rate of 0% to 30%.
Erythroplakia is of higher concern, often indicating dysplastic/neoplastic lesions.
How do nasal polyps form, describe some sequelae?
Recurrent inflammation leads to oedema and fibrosis, forming polyps.
Polyps can cause obstruction and further inflammation.
Polyps consist of a stromal core and epithelial coverin g
What viral infection is sinonasal pappiloma associated with?
It is benign. What can it transform into, and what is the risk of this happening?
Sinonasal papillomas are benign neoplasms from the sinonasal epithelium.
They are commonly associated with HPV.
They have a SMALL chacne of progressing to SCC (remember, HPV tumours have decent prognosis)
What viral infection is nasopharyngeal carcinoma associated with?
What are the three types, and their links to the viral infection?
Nasopharyngela carcinoma is common in areas due to endemic EBV (Africa in kids, China in adults).
Three patterns:
Keratinising SCC (NOT EBV assoc.)
Non-keratinising SCC (EBV assoc.)
Undifferentiated carcinoma (EBV assoc.)
What is a neoplastic neuroendocrine tumour that occurs in the nose?
Olfactory neuroblastoma. Causes epistaxis (nosebleed) and nasal obstruction
What is the most common malignant neoplasm of the larynx?
What is the strongest aetiology for it?
Squamous cell carcinoma.
Almost ALWAYS found in smokers.
What are the three salivary glands?
Parotid
Submandibular
Sublingual
What is sialadenitis?
What are some aetiologies?
Sialadenitis = inflammation of salivary glands
Can be caused by obstruction by stone (sialolithiasis) causing inflammation and blockage
or by infection (primary viral or secondary bacterial following sialolithiasis)
What is an autoimmune disorder than can cause sialadentisi?
Sjorgen syndrome
What are two types of benign salivary gland neoplasms and two types of malignant ones?
What is the most common of the lot?
Benign:
Pleomorphic adenoma
Warthin tumour
Malignant:
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma
Adenoid cystic carcinoma
Pleomorphic adenoma = most common, ~50% of tumours. Rest have relatively similar frequency.
What characterises pleomorphic adenomas?
Which salivary gland is it most commonly found?
Pleomorphic = mixed cells (epithelial and myoepithelial components)
Common in parotid gland.
